


A Fresh Start

by RuArcher (Coriesocks)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Cell Phones, Deception, Drinking, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Muggle Technology, Not Epilogue Compliant, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-01-28 03:10:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12596848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coriesocks/pseuds/RuArcher
Summary: It's a few years since the war. Draco has only recently arrived back in the UK and has just got his first mobile phone, so Pansy gives him Harry’s number as her own as a joke. Since she and Harry became friends, she's developed a bit of a habit of passing off Harry's number to men she takes home because she thinks it’s hilarious. Normally Harry ignores them, or lets them down gently, but something about this one unknown number keeps him replying.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a text fic so I hope it doesn't suck - I love reading them so thought I'd try writing one. I've tried very hard to remember what phones were like waaaaay back in the early 2000's, when this fic is set, but those were my university years so i don't remember much of anything from that time..

Saturday

12:33  
[Draco] Okay, you win. I’ve got one of these ridiculous muggle devices. Now what?

 

\---------  
Sunday

09:21  
[Draco] Pansy

13:45  
[Draco] Pansy

 

\----------  
Monday

08:06  
[Draco] PANSY CAMELLIA PARKINSON WHY WON’T YOU ANSWER MY TEXTS

 

\---------  
Tuesday

09:13  
[Draco] PANSY IF YOU DON’T ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW I SWEAR TO SALAZAR I WILL MURDER YOU.

 

\---------  
Wednesday

17:35  
[Draco] I hate you.

 

\-----------  
Friday

15:28  
[Draco] We’re all meeting at McCormick’s. Don’t you fucking dare be late. If I’m stuck there alone with Goyle, I might drown myself in the toilet.

17:09  
[Draco] Seriously Pans, what the fuck was the point in giving me your number if you never ANSWER YOUR GODDAMN TEXTS.

19:25  
[Harry] Mate. Whoever gave you this number is having you on. I’m not Pansy.

[Draco] Who the fuck is this and what have you done with Pansy?

[Harry] No idea who she is, but she’s not here.

[Draco] Well then not-Pansy, why have you got Pansy’s phone?

[Harry] It’s not her phone, you idiot, it’s my phone. She’s given you a wrong number. Take a hint.

[Draco] That evil little she-devil. I really will kill her this time.

[Harry] Sorry. Plenty more fish etc etc

[Draco] Plenty more fish?  
[Draco] What do you mean???

[Harry] You know. Maybe you guys weren't meant to be. She's clearly not interested if she gave out a fake number 

[Draco] OH! Oh good grief, no! She's my best friend, or at least she was. I'm reconsidering that now. She probably thinks she's being hilarious. Well. I'll show her.

[Harry] ... Should i be concerned for Pansy’s safety?? 

[Draco] Yes, probably. But don't worry about it, she completely deserves everything that's coming to her.

[Harry] oooookay. Well. Good talk. If I see Pansy’s name in the news, I'm forwarding this convo to the authorities.

 

\-------

19:43  
[Harry] Pansy...for the last.fucking.time. Please. For the love of god. Stop giving my number out to your rejects.  
[Harry] And who is this latest guy anyway? He’s talking like he’s a friend of yours. It’s not anyone I know is it....?  
[Harry] Wait.  
[Harry] Wait a fucking second  
[Harry] Please please please don’t tell me it’s who I think it is…  
[Harry] PANSY!!!!!!!????

[Pansy] Oh hush now. Don’t worry your fuzzy little head about it.

[Harry] Pansy!!  
[Harry] That’s not an answer!!!!!

 

\-------  
Sunday

11:14  
[Draco] I apologise for all the texts I sent believing you were Pansy. She said she's sorry too.

[Harry] To me or to you? And how do I know you're not just saying that to cover up for the fact you murdered her last night.

[Draco] To you, I think. She was fairly vague.  
[Draco] ...and unfortunately, she’s still very much alive and still a huge pain in my arse.

[Harry] how did you find her without her phone number?

[Draco] I floo called her.

[Harry] and yet it still took you a week to realise you had the wrong number.

[Draco] shut up.

[Harry] Wow. Ruuuude.

[Draco] I think you'll find you were rude first. I’m merely following your lead.

 

———  
Saturday

07:09  
[Draco] PANS   
[Draco] PANSY  
[Draco] WOMAN DON’T MAKE ME COME UP THERE 

[Harry] still not Pansy  
[Harry] update your fucking contacts

[Draco] Ah. Apologies.  
[Draco] Still rude, I see.

[Harry] it's fucking 7 am. Jfc 

[Draco] ...just fight crups? Jolly fat cat? 

[Harry] jesus fucking christ.

[Draco] Oh! Someone certainly got up on the wrong side of bed this morning.

[Harry] I'm not up. I'm still asleep. It's Saturday. Go the fuck to sleep or shut the fuck up. 

 

12:18  
[Harry] okay. Now I'm up.

[Draco] you're only just getting up now? Seriously? Are you ill?

[Harry] no. I'm 22 and it's a Saturday. Are *you* ill? 

[Draco] No. Why?

[Harry] because you’re not only just getting up now. Unless you’re puking your guts up or are still up from the night before, you have to be seriously gone in the head to be up so early on a saturday.  
[Harry] or old...I’ve heard that old people get up early too.

[Draco] Some of us have to study on a Saturday. 

[Harry] wtf  
[Harry] Who the fuck studies on a saturday morning? 

[Draco] Those of us who actually care about bettering ourselves rather than lounging around with a hangover. That’s who.  
[Draco] BUT even if I didn't have to study, I wouldn’t sleep until noon. Good grief.

[Harry] Good grief? What are you, like, 50?

[Draco] Ouch. Please. Don't sugar coat it. Just say what you mean...

[Harry] come on, no one under 50 years old says good grief. No one.   
[Harry] and then there’s the whole getting up at the arse crack of dawn thing. OLD.

[Draco] Well I'm only 22, same as you, so that's your theory blasted out of the water.

[Harry] No way are you 22. You're probably some dirty old perv who’s pretending to be young so you can drag me off to your lair to do unspeakable things and feed off my youth.

[Draco] !!   
[Draco] Fuck you.

 

———

14:46  
[Harry] It’s him, isn’t it?  
[Harry] He said he’s 22. And he said you’re his best friend. And he sounds like a bit of a git.  
[Harry] What are you on, woman??   
[Harry] Why would you do this to me??? 

[Pansy] Calm down, Potty. Why on earth are you still texting him?

[Harry] Because he keeps texting me.

[Pansy] No one forces you to reply to these unknown numbers, you know. 

 

———  
Wednesday

18:16  
[Harry] are you not talking to me?

[Draco] Are you still scared I’m trying to lure you to my old man lair?

[Harry] ....a little... but I'm bored.

[Draco] Wow, thanks. What if I don't want to talk to you?

[Harry] fine.   
[Harry] I don't care  
[Harry] I'm just going to   
[Harry] keep texting anyway  
[Harry] make your phone vibrate  
[Harry] all  
[Harry] fucking   
[Harry] night

[Draco] OH SWEET MERLIN’S TITTIES STOP THAT NOW

[Harry] sorry not sorry

 

21:50  
[Harry] I'm still bored...and maybe a little tipsy now. 

[Draco] I'm not here for your entertainment.   
[Draco] Don’t you have friends you can pester?

[Harry] I do, but they're the ones being boring. Was supposed to be heading down the pub but my interfering friend decided we should study instead.

[Draco] Ha. Saturday morning study doesn’t sound like such a bad idea now, does it? Your interfering friend sounds sensible. You should listen to them more.  
[Draco] Wait, you said you’re tipsy. Are you studying while drunk?

[Harry] Not drunk, tipsy- there’s a difference! This is so fucking dull, i need the alcohol to stay sane.  
[Harry] And don't take her side!   
[Harry] AND FYI, I will NEVER think sat morning study is a good idea so shut your mouth

[Draco] Studying is important. Studying sober is VERY IMPORTANT.   
[Draco] How are you supposed to retain the knowledge you’re supposedly acquiring if you’re three sheets to the wind? 

[Harry] I’M NOT DRUNK IM TIPSYYYYY there’s a difference, mr know it all.

[Draco] If you could see me, you’d know by my eye roll how unimpressed I am with you right now.  
[Draco] What are you studying anyway?

[Harry] Just smth for work.   
[Harry] You're mean. Always shouting at me. Telling me to study :( 

[Draco] shut up and pay attention to your friend.

[Harry] :’(

 

———

“Harry, do you have any idea how important these exams are? They could drop you from the Auror program! Put the phone down!” Hermione yelled, punctuating her words with a thwack of a textbook to the back of Harry’s head.

Harry yelped and ducked his head down, narrowly avoiding spilling his drink over the carpet.

“Good luck with that. Bloody thing’s been stuck to his hand more than usual.” Ron grumbled. 

Harry scowled at his friends, then pouted as he turned off his phone’s screen, grudgingly accepting that maybe they were right. 

“Who are you texting anyway?” Hermione asked, leaning forward to take a look at the thankfully blank screen

“No one. It doesn't matter. Look—phone is going in my pocket. I promise not to interrupt the sacred dullness of study time,” he said, holding up his empty hands to demonstrate his lack of distracting muggle devices.

“Wait a minute. Is it still that guy from the other day? One of Parkinson’s rejects? The one you thought might be… _ferret face_?” Ron asked worriedly, his voice dropping to a horrified whisper as he spoke _his_ name.

“So what if it is?” Harry replied defensively, tensing his shoulders. He didn’t fancy trying to explain himself to his friends when he wasn’t really sure himself what he was doing.

“Oh my god Harry, it's been two weeks! How long are you going to drag this out for? Does he have any idea who you are?”

“I don’t think so,” he huffed. “And I’m not dragging anything out! It’s just an occasional text or two. It’s not a big deal.”

“...occasional…” Ron snorted. Harry leaned over and punched him in the arm.

“Are you going to tell him it’s you?”

“No! Are you mental? Look, it's just an occasional text. He'll get bored soon and stop so there's no need to do a big reveal. And you’re forgetting that I’m not even sure it _is_ him!”

“I don’t get why you don’t just ask him who he is. Here, pass me your phone and I’ll do it for you.” Ron held out his hand expectantly.

“No fucking way!” Harry cried, slapping his hand over the pocket that held his phone in case Ron got it into his head to try and take it by force. “Just leave it alone. It’s probably not even him.” Harry wasn’t sure why he felt so protective of his strange text-relationship with this possible-Malfoy, but he wasn’t going to let Ron blunder in and ruin it.

“Alright, keep your knickers on. Merlin.” Ron shook his head half in amusement, half in exasperation. He turned to Hermione. “It’s happening again, ‘mione. Next thing we know he’ll be stalking that blond twat around town, rather than just flirting on the phone.”

“Shove off!” Harry launched himself at his best friend and, laughing, they both fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs and wrestled until Hermione’s loud throat-clearing attracted their attention. 

“Right, that's enough chit-chat you two. Back to the books!”

“Yes, Mum,” they replied sullenly as one.


	2. Chapter 2

\-----  
Thursday 

21:40  
[Draco] How was the study session? 

[Harry] alright, I suppose.  
[Harry] pub would have been more fun :) 

[Draco] Not too hungover this morning then?

[Harry] Hey! I wasnt THAT drunk. Takes more than a few beers to give me a hangover.

[Draco] I’m not sure you should actually be proud of that…

[Harry] whatever DAD. 

[Draco] I’m just being responsible.

[Harry] YAWN

[Draco] *eyeroll*   
[Draco] ANYWAY. Moving on. What is it you do for work?

[Harry] why?

[Draco] You said you were studying for work, so I was making polite conversation.   
[Draco] If you’re going to be an arse about it, don't bother answering. 

[Harry] Sorry. It’s just that it’s dull. Didn’t think you’d be interested.

[Draco] I asked, didn’t I? That suggests a certain degree of interest.

[Harry] sorry, didn’t mean to be a dick.  
[Harry] I’m still in the training program at work. It's like being back at school with all the exams and classes I have to do. BORING.

[Draco] You don’t like it?

[Harry] meh. 

[Draco] If you don't like it, why are you doing it?

[Harry] idk. I like it mostly, just not all the sitting around studying.   
[Harry] or the paperwork.   
[Harry] or the bureaucracy.   
[Harry] or half the people I work with.  
[Harry] anywho, my ex-gf thought it was sensible to complete the training, even if I don’t continue the job afterwards.   
[Harry] some shit about transferable skills and not being a lazy arse.

[Draco] You're doing a job you don't really like because your ex told you to?

[Harry] ...when you put it like that… hahaha  
[Harry] it’s not just her tho. My best friends both think I should keep at it too.  
[Harry] and it’s not actually as bad as it sounds - I've only got a few months left before I qualify. Then, who knows. I can go do smth else

[Draco] So, the best thing about your job is that you don’t have long before you can quit?  
[Draco] Do you think you will? Or will you keep at it?

[Harry] meh, idk. It’s what everybody expects of me, and it’s what I always imagined doing when i was younger soooo…*shrugs*  
[Harry] better than doing nothing i guess

[Draco] I can practically feel your enthusiasm from here.  
[Draco] I understand though, about the expectation thing. People have always expected certain things of me, so there are an awful lot of disappointed people in my life.

[Harry] You shouldn’t live your life for other people. Fuck em. Do what makes you happy.

[Draco] Thanks. Perhaps you should take your own advice…

[Harry] ooooh, I see what you did there.  
[Harry] I got to go, but talk later, okay?

[Draco] Sure. Good night.

 

\------  
Friday

19:12  
[Draco] You're still in my contacts as ‘Not Pansy’

[Harry] is that a subtle attempt at asking my name?

[Draco] Perhaps.  
[Draco] After our lengthy discussion last night, I feel we should at least know each other’s names.

19:51  
[Draco] Or perhaps I read things wrong.  
[Draco] If you’d rather keep things anonymous, that’s fine.  
[Draco] Weird, but fine.

21:14  
[Harry] Sorry, smth came up.  
[Harry] James  
[Harry] my name, that is.   
[Harry] you? 

[Draco] What do you have me down as right now?

[Harry] ha, you don't want to know :D 

[Draco] Oh go on, I won’t be angry.

[Harry] Well…you were originally shoutyrando, because of all the yelling, and then to boringdadrando after you judged me for drunk-studying.  
[Harry] and that kind of stuck

[Draco] Charming.   
[Draco] If you fancy calling me something that’s less of a mouthful, you can call me Drake. 

[Harry] That's...different.   
[Harry] You say it like it’s not actually your name

[Draco] Yes, well, it’s more of a nickname. I’m trying it out.  
[Draco] I don’t remember a James from my year at school. Where’d you go?

[Harry] what? Why would you think we’d be in the same year?

[Draco] You said you’re 22. We’re the same age, so chances are, we were in the same year, or perhaps one apart. Either way, I don’t remember a James.  
[Draco] Oh, wait, sorry, I’ve been assuming you’re British - but I suppose you could be anywhere in the world!  
[Draco] Which leads me onto another question - where are you from? I knew people in several wizarding schools around the world, so perhaps we know some of the same people.

[Draco] James? Are you still there?

\------

22:17  
[Harry] Pansy!!!  
[Harry] It’s definitely him you absolute cow bag!!   
[Harry] He said his name is ‘Drake’ and he’s asking me what school I went to and where I’m from!!!  
[Harry] PAAAANNNNNNNSSSSSYYYYYYYYYYYY

[Pansy] Drake?? Omg that’s hilarious. Do you think it’s been a hidden desire of his to be called that?  
[Pansy] I’m so telling Blaise. He’ll piss himself.

[Harry] PANSY! Dont you dare! He’ll know where you got it from!

[Pansy] You’re no fun :(

[Harry] Please. I’m begging you. Help.Me.

[Pansy] I fail to see what the problem is. Just make something up.

[Harry] but I’m a shit liar!  
[Harry] it took me like 2 hours to come up with a fake name. Now I have to come up with a fake school?  
[Harry] and what if he knows someone at the school I say. And I can’t just make up a school. He’ll know I’m bullshitting!  
[Harry] oh god. What if he works out it's me?

[Pansy] oh for fuck’s sake, Pots. I only have room in my life for so much melodrama.   
[Pansy]You got yourself into this mess, you can bloody well lie your way out of it. Why on earth have you kept up this ridiculous charade? 

[Harry] I had to know if it was really him..  
[Harry] and now I’m in too deep…if I stop replying he might be upset, but if I continue replying, I need a convincing backstory.  
[Harry] I just need you to give me a lie. Just one tiny, convincing, lie that I can tell him.

[Pansy] oh sweet circe.   
[Pansy] I’m not facilitating your weird fixation with my best friend.

[Harry] Pansyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!  
[Harry] Please! Tell me what to doooo!

[Pansy] I don't know. Make something up? Tell him the truth? You're going to do whatever you want anyway so I really don't see why you need my input.   
[Pansy] Be gentle with him though. I'll cut your bollocks off and feed them to you raw if you hurt him.

[Harry] Thanks Pans :/

 

———

23:46  
[Harry] Hey, sorry, I’m back.

[Draco] Everything okay?

[Harry] yeah yeah. All good. Didn’t mean to leave you on a cliffhanger. Smth came up.

[Draco] No problem. I don’t expect you to sit by your phone all night, waiting for my texts.

[Harry] thx. So. School. I didn’t go to school. I was home-schooled :)

[Draco] Really? So are you actually in the UK, or did I assume completely wrong?

[Harry] yeh. UK. Grew up in the middle of nowhere. Nothing for miles.

[Draco] Ah, I know what that’s like. My family home is quite some distance from the nearest house.   
[Draco] I live in the city now though and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

[Harry] you don’t miss the peace and quiet?

[Draco] Not at all. I find the stillness suffocating, to be honest. I need the bustle and noise of a city around me.  
[Draco] Thousands of people busily going about their lives. No one cares who you are as long as you mind your own business.

[Harry] sounds lonely.

[Draco] Perhaps, but I’d rather be one more stranger in a crowd, than be alone with my thoughts, miles from anyone.

[Harry] jesus. That's kind of…poetic. And depressing. Definitely depressing.  
[Harry] I’m probably the opposite. Id happily be a hermit living in a cave by myself, miles from anywhere.

[Draco] And you accused me of having an old man lair! Now I see you were just jealous.

[Harry] Ha!   
[Harry] Anyway, I should let you go. You’ve probably got to get up early and study, or something equally as thrilling.  
[Harry] Night, Drake

[Draco] Night James. Speak soon.

 

———  
Sunday

14:28  
[Harry] Quick question  
[Harry] super urgent

[Draco] Go on…

[Harry] ok. I need you to be completely honest  
[Harry] no deflecting  
[Harry] no wishy washy half answers  
[Harry] got it?

[Draco] Yes, yes, ask away.

[Harry] Cannons or Harpies?

[Draco] ….  
[Draco] For fuck’s sake.   
[Draco] Everyone knows the Cannons couldn’t fly their way out of a paper bag.  
[Draco] And the Harpies would be nothing without Ginevra Weasley.

[Harry] So, Harpies?

[Draco] Fuck no. Tornadoes all the way. 

[Harry] Oh god. No. Just…No.

[Draco] Excuse me? Please don’t tell me you’re another Weaslette fanboy.

[Harry] HAHAHAHAHA  
[Harry] fuck no.  
[Harry] HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH  
[Harry] Cannons, man. Through the bad times and the worse. Always.

[Draco] Oh dear. I’m sorry. I may need to reconsider our association.

 

———  
Monday

18:12  
[Draco] Cannons? Seriously?  
[Draco] They literally have no redeeming qualities.

[Harry] haha youre still mad about that?

[Draco] I was just listening to the league roundup on WWN. Their name came up a few times.  
[Draco] Why they don’t just disband, I’ll never know. What a bunch of fuck ups.   
[Draco] Their seeker couldn’t even find the snitch if it was attached to the end of his nose!

[Harry] Hey! They may be fuckups, but theyre my fuckups.  
[Harry] their time will come. They just need some more investment. Then they could afford a few more decent players.

[Draco] Yes, if they had the money, and could replace every player, the manager, and the coach, then MAYBE they would stand a chance of finishing top 3.

[Harry] ha bloody ha.  
[Harry] Tornadoes play falcons tonight, don’t they?

[Draco] That’s correct. Falcons have been putting in an absolutely abysmal effort this season. Shouldn’t be a hard match to take.

[Harry] That’s fighting talk :)  
[Harry] 10 galleons says Falcons get the snitch and win the game.

[Draco] What!? No chance. Have you even seen their match stats recently?? Tornadoes have been on top form, whereas the falcons can barely get off the ground.

[Harry] So you’ll take the bet?

[Draco] I generally prefer a little more of a challenge, but fine. If you’re that eager to hand over your money, I’ll take that bet. 10 Galleons on Tornadoes to win.

 

———

22:57  
[Harry] OMG WHAT A GLORIOUS NIGHT!!!  
[Harry] IVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO WITNESS ANOTHER PERSON’S SUFFERING!!  
[Harry] FALCONS! FALCONS! FALCONS!

[Draco] They were robbed! The match was rigged!  
[Draco] Clearly someone tampered with our seeker’s broom. He’s not missed the snitch once this season before tonight!

[Harry] oh poor drakey. Such a sore loser. 

[Draco] Shut up. 

[Harry] are you sulking?  
[Harry] is widdle dwakey feewing saaaad

[Draco] I may not know who you are or where you are, but I will hunt down and hex every single James in this country if you don’t shut up.

[Harry] *whispers* falcons! falcons! falcons!   
[Harry] you can donate my winnings to the war orphans fund

[Draco] fine.

 

———  
Tuesday

10:28  
[Harry] Hey.  
[Harry] Something to brighten up your day, in case you still have a grump on from yesterday…  
[Harry] I was running through the park this morning when I slipped in dog shit and landed on my arse in front of a whole gang of teenagers walking to school.  
[Harry] I don’t think I’ve ever been more embarrassed in my WHOLE LIFE  
[Harry] I was so close to obliviating them…the stay to azkaban would have been totally worth it.  
[Harry] fuck. I can’t stop cringing.

[Draco] Oh my word, that’s hilarious!   
[Draco] Some might even call it divine retribution for your gloating last night.  
[Draco] But I hope you didn’t hurt yourself.

[Harry] nah, just my pride.  
[Harry] and I’ve got a pretty impressive bruise on my left arse cheek.

[Draco] You poor thing.  
[Draco] Why didn’t you heal the bruise?

[Harry] I was about to, but then I realised it looks kind of like a squashed purpley dementor so I left it there. 

[Draco] You’re ridiculous.

[Harry] ^_^

[Draco] Thank you. You’ve made my day.

[Harry] Happy to be of service! That dog won’t be, if I ever find it.

 

———  
Wednesday

20:34  
[Draco] How’s the bruise? (Both the one on your arse and to your ego.)

[Harry] I had to heal my arse because people were giving me funny looks every time I winced when I sat down :(  
[Harry] not sure my ego will ever recover though.   
[Harry] everytime I close my eyes, I see their laughing faces  
[Harry] fucking kids

[Draco] That’s a shame about your dementor bruise. I know how proud of it you were.  
[Draco] You may be psychologically scarred, but at least you’ll know to steer clear of dog shit in the future.

[Harry] ha, you’d think. Running is dull, so I tend to daydream a bit. I’m sure this won’t the last time I do something stupid.   
[Harry] a couple of months ago, I pretty much ran straight into a mother and baby out for a morning walk. She looked like she wanted to throw my under a bus :O

[Draco] Oh dear.

[Harry] then the time before that, I had a run in with a cyclist  
[Harry] oh, and there was also the incident with a car door. Think I’ve still got a scar from that.

[Draco] Are you sure it’s safe for you to be outside? 

[Harry] Haha. Probably not. Got to keep my fitness up for work though, and running outside is infinitely more interesting than on a treadmill.

[Draco] It’s probably infinitely safer to run indoors though.

[Harry] eeeeeehhhh. What’s life without a bit of danger!

[Draco] Safe. And long.

[Harry] there you again, being all responsible. *sigh*  
[Harry] next you be telling me I shouldn’t drink a couple of shots of firewhiskey before I go running.

[Draco] !!!!!!!!  
[Draco] You drink before you run!?

[Harry] gotta get fired up somehow .. ;)

[Draco] Did it ever occur to you that maybe that’s why you have so many accidents? Not to mention the health implications of drinking so much.  
[Draco] I’m speechless.

[Harry] jk jk! Sorry - I can be a bit of an idiot, but I’m not THAT stupid.  
[Harry] all my drinking is reserved for after work, and occasionally lunchtime if we go to the pub.

[Draco] That’s a relief.

[Harry] seriously though, I know I probably drink a bit too much, but it’s not that bad.  
[Harry] I’m fairly certain my friends would intervene if things got out of hand.

[Draco] Good to know.   
[Draco] I’m here if you ever need to talk. 

[Harry] thanks D

 

———   
Thursday

19:06  
[Draco] Good day at work?  
[Draco] One of these days I’ll actually find out what you do!

23:45  
[Draco] I guess you must be busy tonight. I’m off to bed now. Maybe we’ll speak tomorrow.

 

———  
Friday afternoon

Harry yawned widely and looked up from the report he was trying (and failing) to write. His best friend was sat opposite him, also struggling with a stack of reports. Harry chuckled as he watched the ginger man wipe a trail of ink across his lip when scratching his nose. They were the only two currently in their corner of the large, open plan office since the other Aurors who usually shared their space were either out on a case or gone in a meeting.

“Hey, Ron,” Harry called, causing Ron to startle and almost knock his bottle of ink across his desk. “Do you think I drink too much?”

Ron looked at him calculatingly for a few moments. Everyone always thought Hermione was the brains in the relationship, but Ron’s often confused expression hid the presence of a sharp, analytical mind. He placed his quill back in the pot and sat a little straighter, a little more alert. “What’s brought this on?”

“Nothing. Just thinking. You’d tell me though if you thought I had a problem?”

“Yeah, mate, definitely. We look out for each other, the three of us. Always will.” He smiled reassuringly. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

“Yeah, no, sure.” Harry frowned at the mess of parchment on his desk and caught sight of the phone with its handful of unread texts from Draco. “It’s just… Well… I joked to a friend the other day about drinking fire whiskey before I go running, and they believed me, and it made me think that maybe I actually do drink a bit too much.”

“Which friend? Was it someone here? You know, for law enforcement, half of them are gullible idiots who would probably believe you if you said you shat rainbows.”

Harry laughed as the image played out in his head. “Nah, it was no one here. Just some guy.”

“And by some guy, you mean that guy you think is _Malfoy_ , who you’ve been texting non-stop for a month?” Ron asked, arching an eyebrow as he forced the name out.

“Maybe.” Harry averted his eyes.

“I can’t believe you’re still talking to that twat,” Ron said, shaking his head despairingly.

“He’s not that bad, Ron. I really think he’s changed.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Pansy’s changed. Is it really that hard to believe that Malfoy might have changed?”

“I dunno. And for the record, I really don’t get the whole Pansy thing. Are you sure you’re not shagging?”

“What?! No! Ron!” 

“Whatever. I may not get your weird obsession with collecting Slytherins, but I love you and support you regardless,” he said with a finality that suggested he was done with that particular topic. “Come on, fancy a cuppa? I don’t know about you, but these reports could be written in Mermish for all the sense they’re making right now.”

“Yeah. Sounds good,” Harry replied, pushing up from his desk. He followed Ron over to the small kitchenette and pushed thoughts of Malfoy to the back of his mind. He’d read his texts later, maybe; no point worrying about the blond git now.


	3. Chapter 3

———  
Sunday

22:34  
[Harry] Hey hey! Sorry for the radio silence. I’ve been super swamped at work. you know how it is.

[Draco] Oh, that’s quite alright. I know how things can get sometimes. I was worried you’d fallen off a broom or something. Haha.

[Harry] hahaha i wish it had been something as interesting as that. Just boring work stuff.

[Draco] Work must be bad if you would rather have fallen off a broom!

[Harry] Ha, yeah. Not long now til I can quit though.

[Draco] Any ideas what you’ll do?  
[Draco] …not that I know what you do now…

[Harry] not a fucking clue!   
[Harry] maybe I’ll become a man of leisure. Do lunch, and have dinner parties. That sort of crap.

[Draco] That’s one idea, I suppose. I have a fair bit of experience with dinner parties. I’ll have to give you some pointers. Which plate goes where, how many forks you need in relation to courses, which wines to serve…

[Harry] There’s more than one fork?? This is starting to sound like a lot more effort than I’m prepared to put in. I was thinking more of inviting people round and calling up Domino’s or the local curry house.

[Draco] I have no idea what a ‘Domino’s’ is but it sounds ghastly. From context, can I assume it’s some kind of takeaway restaurant? 

[Harry] …wut  
[Harry] you’ve never had a Domino’s?  
[Harry] what have you been doing with your life??????

[Draco] Not eating at Domino’s, evidently.

[Harry] please tell me you’ve eaten pizza before…?

[Draco] Of course I have! I may have had a slightly sheltered upbringing, but I wasn’t locked in a box.

[Harry] sheltered?

[Draco] Traditional. Pureblood. I’d rather not go into it right now if that’s all the same to you.

[Harry] no probs. We all need our secrets :)   
[Harry] my childhood was pretty crappy too so I can relate.  
[Harry] Let’s just sweep that shit under the carpet like the emotionally repressed Brits we are.

[Draco] Excellent idea! Right. Let’s talk about something else then, unless you have to go? I’ve just realised it’s getting quite late.

[Harry] nah, i can talk a bit longer.   
[Harry] So.  
[Harry] where do you live? I’ll find your nearest domino’s and then you can whinge at me about how mediocre and uninspiring it is.

[Draco] I do not whinge!

[Harry] yeah you do. 

[Draco] Fine. 

[Harry] come on, where do you live? Youre in england, right?

[Draco] Yes, I’ve just moved back to London after spending the last few years in France.

[Harry] What were you doing in France?

[Draco] I was studying for my potions mastery at the institute in Nice.

[Harry] wow. Cool! What made you chose there?

[Draco] It happens to be one of the best institutes in Europe for advanced potions studies. 

[Harry] Probably doesn’t hurt that the weather’s better than here… ;)

[Draco] I won’t deny that was a nice bonus.

[Harry] I never really got on with potions. It probably didn’t help that the professor we had at school wasn’t too keen on me.

[Draco] I thought you were home-schooled?

[Harry] I was!   
[Harry] I meant the tutor my parents hired didn’t like me much.  
[Harry] I should go. Early start tomorrow. night.

[Draco] Oh, okay. Good night.

 

\-------------  
Monday

11:24  
[Draco] I have a theory about your work.  
[Draco] Are you interested in hearing it?

13:10  
[Draco] Well, I shall assume your silence means you’re actually working hard and not that you aren’t interested.  
[Draco] You’re so secretive and evasive whenever I ask anything remotely work related so I can only assume you’re an Unspeakable, or else a famous person, like a professional quidditch player or someone like that.

[Draco] I have to say though, if you really are an Unspeakable, then it’s a good job you’re thinking of leaving the profession because you need a much better cover story if you don't want to get found out.

 

———

13:25  
[Harry] PANSY! HE KNOWS! HES WORKED IT OUT!! WHAT DO I DOOO????

[Pansy] Calm down. Breathe. And talk me through it.

[Harry] this is what he wrote  
_[Drake - 13:12] You’re so secretive and evasive whenever I ask anything remotely work related so I can only assume you’re an Unspeakable, or else a famous person, like a professional quidditch player or someone like that._

[Pansy] Oh for fuck’s sake Potter. He knows nothing. Are you an Unspeakable or a quidditch player? No. 

[Harry] But i’m a famous person! He guessed ‘famous person’!

[Pansy] Then it’s the perfect opportunity for you to hold your hands up and say ‘You’ve got me! I’m none other than sparkley boy wonder, Harry Potter, beloved by elderly witches across the land.’ Don’t you think?

[Harry] No. That’s a shit idea. youre no help.

[Pansy] Honestly Pots, how hard would it have been to come up with an actual fake job? Or just admit to being an Auror?

[Harry] I panicked! I can’t think under pressure!

[Pansy] …  
[Pansy] you can’t think full stop.

[Harry] Can’t you just speak to him, see what he knows?

[Pansy] Tell me something. And be honest. What exactly are your intentions with my friend?  
[Pansy] If this is all part of some mean-spirited prank, you are going to stop fucking with him and I’m going to tell him myself who you are.

[Harry] I don’t know what this is but I swear I’m not fucking with him and it’s not a prank.   
[Harry] I guess I just like talking with him.  
[Harry] he’s actually quite nice when he’s not actively hating me

[Pansy] I won’t be complicit in your lies, but MAYBE I’ll speak to him and find out if he has any clue who you are.

[Harry] Thanks pans xxx

 

———

23:48

[Harry] you were close 

[Draco] I'm sorry? Close to what?

[Harry] what I do for work. 

[Draco] Ah, so you actually are the world's worst Unspeakable? 

[Harry] nah. I'm an auror. Doing my sergeant’s training. Although why, I'm not sure.

[Draco] Oh, wow. Aren't you quite young for sergeant's training? 

[Harry] yeah, I guess, but they're fast tracking some of us. There's been a bit of a staffing problem since the war.

[Draco] Ah. I can imagine.   
[Draco] So why don't you like it? 

[Harry] idk I guess I'm just tired of being on alert the whole time. Tired of dealing with bad guys. And *really* tired of all the paperwork.   
[Harry] seriously. Like, a few weeks ago I caught this guy who'd been trying to swindle money from people by pretending to be collecting for one of the many post-war charities. Real low value, like, maybe he got a handful of galleons, max. Collar took a couple of hours from start to finish, but then I was stuck doing paperwork for the next 2 and a half days!

[Draco] What do you actually want to do with your life if not chasing bad guys and filling in forms?

[Harry] no clue. That's the problem. I'm stuck doing something I'm hating more and more each day cos I can't work out what I want to do instead.  
[Harry] I can't just do nothing, I'd go insane.

[Draco] Is there anything you like about your job? There must have been something that drew you to it initially.

[Harry] ufff. Idk. It’s something I always wanted to do when i was growing up, but I guess the reality didn’t live up to the dream. I wanted to help people, to make the world better, but being an auror seems to mostly be petty criminals and paperwork, with occasional really nasty shit thrown in.   
[Harry] and everyone goes on at me all the time about how i can rise through the ranks and get an office to myself, an assistant, minions to do my grunt work, blah blah, and I just want to tell them to kill me if i ever end up like that, but i can’t because they’re friends and colleagues and as far as they know, this is what i want.  
[Harry] uuugggghhhhhhhhhh

[Draco] Well, what do you like doing for fun? To relax?

[Harry] drink and watch TV? Go to the pub? Pleeeeease tell me there's a career in that. I'd be ace at it.

[Draco] very funny. Why do you like going to the pub?

[Harry] to hang out with my friends and get drunk? What do *you* do in a pub? 

[Draco] We’re talking about you right now. We can discuss my pub habits another time. So…

[Harry] fine. I guess i like catching up with my friends, hearing about their lives.   
[Harry] oh, and we like trying out new bars, going to muggle places we’ve never been to, places with different crowds, so we always meet new people.

[Draco] Okay, so you like talking. Getting to know people. Listening to their problems? Helping them out?

[Harry] yeah, I suppose. 

[Draco] What about being a mind healer?

[Harry] !? you got that from me liking a drink? I don't know that it would be a good choice for me… but I guess it's not a bad suggestion. I do like helping people and fixing their problems.

[Draco] Okay, so what else? What other things tickle your niffler?

[Harry] um, I like flying, but i doubt I’m good enough to go professional since I rarely get a chance to go up on my broom because of stupid work.   
[Harry] I like animals and magical creatures, although possibly not enough to actually work with them  
[Harry] and i like cooking, but not boring stuff - i like trying new recipes and mixing muggle and wizard techniques to see what works best.

[Draco] Hmm. What about working in a bakery or cafe, or training to become a chef?   
[Draco] Oh! Or start your own catering company! Mother was forever searching for new and interesting caterers for all the parties she used to throw. The wealthy love to out-do each other with their parties, and no one EVER does their own catering. 

[Harry] don't your lot just get house elves to do everything?

[Draco] My lot?

[Harry] you said your mother threw these parties. I'm assuming that means you're one of that set too. Plus, you sound like a right posh git. ‘Good grief!’ 

[Draco] I’m not sure whether I should be offended...   
[Draco] Okay, yes. My lot. But no, we don't use elves for everything. And not everyone has elves that can create innovative new menus for a show-stopping dinner party.  
[Draco] Elves are like people in as much as they need to learn how to cook and create, they aren’t born as Michelin starred chefs.

[Harry] …   
[Harry] wow  
[Harry] there's so much I still don't know about the Wizarding world.

[Draco] What do you mean? 

[Harry] just that I didn't grow up around magic

[Draco] but you were home-schooled. Were you home-schooled by muggles? 

[Harry] no  
[Harry] would it matter? Would being raised and schooled by muggles mean I’m less than you?

[Draco] No! Of course not. I’m sorry. I didn't mean to cause any offence.

[Harry] I should go. It's late. Night Drake.

[Draco] shit. James? I really didn’t mean to offend you.   
[Draco] I’m honestly so sorry.   
[Draco] We’ll talk tomorrow? I promise I'll try not to be a complete arse.

[Draco] Goodnight, James. 

 

\------


	4. Chapter 4

———  
Tuesday

22:48  
[Harry] hey  
[Harry] sorry for disappearing last night  
[Harry] i wasn’t offended. Really. Just tired zzzzzzzzzz

[Draco] That’s a relief.  
[Draco] I want you to know that I really have nothing against muggles, or muggleborns.

[Harry] it’s fine, really.  
[Harry] I guess I can be a bit sensitive about that stuff. One of my best friends is muggleborn and she had to deal with a lot of shit because of it, even though she’s super smart and could kick the arse of pretty much any pureblood

[Draco] Reminds me of a witch I went to school with. Merlin, I was such a shit to her.

[Harry] yeah? But you regret it now?

[Draco] Absolutely. I was such a prejudiced twat, thanks to my delightful upbringing. But I’ve been working hard to undo all that damage.  
[Draco] Unfortunately, sometimes things occasionally slip out, but I assure you that I don’t believe that crap anymore and I don’t mean to offend anyone.  
[Draco] You have my full permission to call me out on any offensive, prejudiced crap I might unintentionally come out with.

[Harry] good to know :) I’m glad you’re trying to change. It must be hard when it’s been drilled into you your whole life.  
[Harry] I hope there are more like you.

[Draco] You’re too kind. But really, I’m just not particularly keen on experiencing another war.

[Harry] ha. who is?

[Draco] My father…?  
[Draco] Merlin, forget I said that. He’s an arrogant, self-absorbed, power-hungry bastard, but I don’t think even he wants a return to those days.

[Harry] that’s ….reassuring?? I suppose..??

[Draco] Yes, quite. And on that note, I really ought to get some sleep.  
[Draco] Early start in the lab tomorrow.  
[Draco] Fingers-crossed none of the potions I left brewing have exploded…

[Harry] haha. Happy potioning. I have my everything crossed for you :)  
[Harry] night D

[Draco] Night, James.

 

———  
Wednesday

12:32  
[Harry] Lunch tiiiiime!  
[Harry] One of my favourite parts of the workday, along with tea break and home time.  
[Harry] I realised this morning that I don’t really know what you’re into, for fun and whatnot.  
[Harry] I guess you like potions, cos of the whole mastery thing, but what else?

15:48  
[Harry] ehhhh, you’re probably still busy cleaning up all those exploded potions. I’ll leave you to it. Text me later if you wanna chat!

 

19:27  
[Draco] Merlin, I am SO sorry. I left my phone at home all day.

[Harry] no worries. Although I can’t imagine going anywhere without mine hahaha

[Draco] I’m still not used to having one. Pansy forced me to get one when I moved back to London. Apparently, the Floo is inconvenient and sending an owl takes too long.

[Harry] sounds like Pansy

[Draco] You know Pansy?

[Harry] No, I just mean, based on what I know of her from your texts. 

[Draco] Oh, right. Okay, that makes sense.

[Harry] Come on then. Likes! Dislikes! Educate me about the mystery that is Drake!

[Draco] I feel like you’re building yourself up for a disappointment. I’m rather dull (so I’ve been told).

[Harry] Noooo, I won’t believe it! And I’m hardly interesting myself - I like drinking, cooking, and flying. Not exactly exciting!  
[Harry] So, come on, spill. 

[Draco] Okay, well, aside from potions, I like reading journals and old texts- in particular, deciphering archaic potion ingredients and/or instructions in those texts and creating something workable.  
[Draco] I also enjoy spending time in my garden, and I play the piano, viola, and cello.  
[Draco] Oh, and i also like flying, when I have time for it, which isn’t that often these days.

[Harry] yeah? Like, just casual flying or playing Quidditch?  
[Harry] (tornadoes still suck btw)

[Draco] Both, really, although I’ve not played Quidditch since school. Believe it or not, I used to play seeker for my house team.

[Harry] oh, yeah?

[Draco] Yes. Some of my fondest memories from school were on the Quidditch pitch. I used to have a not-quite-friendly rivalry with a boy from another house who played seeker for his house team, which tended to make things interesting.

[Harry] interesting how?

[Draco] Well, let’s just say that his arse on that broom was very distracting and maybe my game would have improved if i could have kept my eyes off of his snitch for more than five minutes.

[Harry] !!!  
[Harry] i thought you said you were rivals??

[Draco] We were! But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate beauty when I see it.  
[Draco] And there was a lot of beauty in that arse.

[Harry] oh. Haha  
[Harry] so you’re gay?

[Draco] Exceptionally so. Why? Does that bother you?

[Harry] Not at all! I’m kinda gay myself.

[Draco] ‘kinda gay’? How does that even work?

[Harry] Well, I’ve only semi-recently realised I’m into guys (I guess I always knew on some level, but never acknowledged it), but I’ve not got any … “practical” experience yet *blushes* beyond a few drunken snogs and a fumble or two.

[Draco] Oh, wow. Are you out?

[Harry] Not so much. Not really hiding, but not really advertising either. I’m not keen to label myself, tbh. 

[Draco] If you ever need any advice, you can come to me. My main areas of experience are awkward crushes and unrequited love, but you can ask me anything.

[Harry] thanx :)  
[Harry] You had a lot of awkward crushes at school then? Not just broomstick guy?

[Draco] Ha! I suppose there were a few boys that caught my eye back then, but broomstick guy was the bane of my hormonal teenage existence.  
[Draco] I can’t imagine what he would have done if he ever found out. Probably would have hexed my bollocks straight off.

[Harry] haha  
[Harry] you never tried to tell him you like him?

[Draco] Good grief, no! I said before that we were rivals, but I don’t think that adequately expresses the level of animosity between us.  
[Draco] He would never have been interested in someone like me anyway, even if he wasn’t as straight as a pole.  
[Draco] I expect he’s well on his way to marrying that childhood sweetheart of his, if he’s not done it already.

[Harry] ha  
[Harry] do you still like him?

[Draco] I’ve not spoken to, or even seen, him since school but it was my first serious crush so I suppose the feelings still linger  
[Draco] It doesn’t help that the glimpses of him I’ve caught since school show that he’s only gotten better looking with age.  
[Draco] Damn him! Haha

[Harry] ha, yeah, what a bastard!

 

23:48  
[Harry] soooo, what would you do if you ever ran into him again? Broomstick guy, I mean.

[Draco] When I run into him, more like. He’s somehow become friends with all my friends while I’ve been abroad so I think our meeting again is inevitable…  
[Draco] I’m not sure what I’ll do, to be honest. I’ll probably get flustered and act like a twat as usual, so he’ll continue to hate me and I’ll continue to suffer. Must maintain the status quo!  
[Draco] Merlin, that’s a depressing thought.

[Harry] maybe he’ll surprise you. It’s been a few years and you said you’ve changed a lot, so maybe he has too. I doubt you’re both still the kids you were at school.

[Draco] One lives in hope.  
[Draco] I really must call it a night now. Another early start in the lab tomorrow.  
[Draco] Night, James.

[Harry] night Drake xx

 

\------

 

01:26

[Harry] RON 

[Harry] RON

[Harry] RON

[Harry] IM COMING THROUGH YOUR FLOO IF YOU DONT REPLY IMMEDIATELY

[Ron] Okay okay, i’m up.  
[Ron] Can’t blame a guy for trying to sleep through his best friend’s latest drama.

[Harry] Hey! I could be in serious danger! Why are you not more worried? Where’s your sense of urgency??

[Ron] If you were in real trouble you would have at least called or sent a patronus, not just sent a series of texts.  
[Ron] Texts sent at stupid o’clock in the morning are usually a result of you drinking too much and getting lost on the way home or some other minor problem that could be solved by literally anyone else in your contacts list.

[Harry] fuck you  
[Harry] this is serious  
[Harry] and i’ve not been drinking  
[Harry] much  
[Harry] it’s about Drake  
[Harry] i mean Draco  
[Harry] no no no i mean Malfoy  
[Harry] Ron?

[Ron] Malfoy? Real Malfoy, or the guy on your phone you think is Malfoy?

[Harry] I don’t think. I know. It’s really him. Really really really him.

[Ron] okay. Couldn’t this have waited until at least 9am?

[Harry] NO! You don’t get it! He said he fancied me at school! He said I have a beautiful arse! He said he used to watch my snitch when we played quidditch!!!!

[Ron] ... again, is this not something that could have waited until 9, maybe 10 in the morning?  
[Ron] and please, for the love of all that is good, never EVER refer to any part of your body as a ‘snitch’ again  
[Ron] If you’ve ruined the beautiful game for me i’ll cry

[Harry] Ron! Why aren’t you freaking out? THIS IS IMPORTANT. IM FREAKING OUT

[Ron] I hate to tell you this but you were literally the only one in our year who didn’t notice the way Malfoy watched your arse. Both on the broom and off it.

[Harry] RON?! WTF!? Why wouldn’t u tell me this?? youre supposed to be my best friend!!!!

[Ron] as much as i’d love to talk you through this latest crisis, I really have to go. Hermione is scowling at me and I reckon I've got minutes before she kicks me to the sofa

[Harry] RON!!! NO!!! DONT LEAVE ME!!!!  
[Harry] actually, wake H up - i could use her input too

[Ron] Sorry mate, i value my bollocks far too much for that. Get some sleep. It’ll seem better in the morning. 

[Harry] UUGGGGHHHHHHHH. Traitor.  
[Harry] xoxoxo

 

———  
Thursday

18:07  
[Draco] How was work?

 

20:36  
[Harry] SUCKS as always. Sry, out tonight, busy, cant talk. Ttyl!

[Draco] Okay, have fun.

 

———  
Friday

18:02  
[Draco] Hi James. Everything okay?

[Harry] Yeah, sorry! Still super busy with work, and my friends keep dragging me out every night. You know how it is.

[Draco] Sure. Have a good night.

[Harry] Cheers

———  
Sunday

17:24  
[Draco] Been up to much this weekend?

[Harry] loads of family stuff going on. Playdate with the god son, lunch with my surrogate family. Busy busy.  
[Harry] heading out down the pub now with some mates, so cant talk now. Maybe later.

[Draco] Okay, well, let me know if you ever feel like chatting again.

———

Draco stared sullenly at his phone, the glowing, greenish-grey screen mocking him with its lack of notifications. 

He wanted to text James again, to make sure things were okay between them. Maybe he was fretting over nothing. James’ excuses that he was too busy to text were perfectly reasonable. He was doing his sergeant’s training, after all. Draco had absolutely no idea what that actually entailed, but it stood to reason that it was fairly time-consuming, especially for someone as study-shy and unfocused as James seemed to be. And now it was late, very late, and James probably had to get up early for work, so that’s probably why he wasn’t texting tonight. But Draco’s mind refused to accept these excuses, no matter how reasonable, and was determined to make him believe he’d been rejected. In his head, Pansy’s voice was calling him an idiot and telling him to allow some time for James to respond before getting upset. He still wasn’t entirely convinced she had no idea who James was, but the woman would lock up tighter than a Gringott’s vault if she suspected you were trying to wheedle information out of her so he had given up pestering her. For now. At least until he had some leverage over her.

The phone continued with its mission to glare lifelessly at him, so after one last scroll through his messages, he turned it off and flung it onto the armchair in the corner of his room, before flopping back onto his bed with an exasperated huff. Why did he care so much whether or not this stranger texted him? They had been texting on and off for only a month or so and still knew barely anything about each other. It shouldn’t matter what James thought or whether he was too busy with his own life to text. He just needed his brain to realise this and he could get on with his life.

...but since that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, he resigned himself to having a broken night’s sleep followed up by a day, maybe two, of trying to talk himself out of texting James again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the comments and kudos! This is so much fun to write, so I'm glad you're enjoying reading it too :D Come find me on [tumblr](https://coriesocks.tumblr.com/) (coriesocks) if you want to say hi or stalk my internets. It's pretty much just fandom reblogs and the occasional cute animal.

———  
Tuesday evening

“Pansy, I fucked up,” huffed Draco dramatically. He flung himself back on the large sofa in the apartment he shared with Blaise. Pansy scooted to the side, holding her glass aloft, in just enough time to avoid being jostled. She scowled at him as some of the wine spilt, spotting her lap and the sofa with deep red.

“What have you done now?” She asked distractedly, casting a quick scourgify on her dove grey jeans and pointedly ignoring the stains on the sofa.

“I think I scared James away. I was too gay. And now he won’t talk to me,” Draco pouted. “He keeps pretending he’s too busy to talk.”

Pansy sighed and took a generous sip of wine before setting her glass down to one side. She gathered Draco up in her arms and settled him so his head was on her lap. “I'm sure he's just busy. People have lives and jobs outside of their phones you know. Try not to worry,” she said, stroking his hair soothingly. His eyes fluttered shut as he relaxed from the gentle motion.

“How exactly were you too gay?” Blaise asked from across the room as he poured himself another whiskey. “I mean, if this guy’s homophobic, do you really want him as a friend? Cut him loose, I say.”

“I don’t know. We were chatting about school. I mentioned my awkward crush on that speccy git—” Pansy stiffened beneath him, but Draco ignored her and carried on. She had mocked him relentlessly at school for liking Potter, so it wasn’t like this was news to her “—and then ever since that he’s been weird and distant.”

“Merlin’s tits. You told Ha—, ah James about your crush on Potter?” Pansy asked, her hand stilling on Draco’s head.

“I didn’t say his name, I just mentioned about having an inappropriate crush on my schoolyard rival.” He nudged her motionless hand impatiently with his head to encourage her to continue petting him.

“And what did he say?”

“Nothing, really. Just asked some questions, you know, normal conversational things. Oh, well, I found out he’s gay too, so that’s something I suppose.”

Pansy choked on her mouthful of wine. “James is gay?” 

Draco sat up from her lap and narrowed his eyes at her. Something about her tone was off. She sounded almost flustered, and Pansy never got flustered. “Pansy,” he said slowly, “are you sure you don't know James?”

As quickly as it had appeared, the panicked, wide-eyed look vanished; a much more familiar sneering mask settling across her features instead. “How many times, Draco. I don't fucking know. Do you think I keep a list of all my conquests? Every man who’s ever given me his number?”

“Well, yes, actually! I know the name of every man I've slept with, and I know exactly who has given me their telephone number.”

“Aww, sweetie, that's because you're a delicate little flower who is too precious for this world.” She patted his cheek condescendingly, then leaned over and pecked him on the forehead. “I suppose there is a chance that it’s some guy I've taken home at some point,” she shrugged one shoulder offhandedly, “but I honestly don't remember. As far as I know, I just gave you a random number.”

Draco huffed out a sigh and stared down at the darkened screen of his phone again. James had been silent for almost two days, and been distant and evasive for almost a week. Had he been lying about being ‘kinda gay’? Was he actually homophobic? He seriously regretted not getting more information from him; he didn’t even know his last name! There couldn’t be that many ‘James’s’ working in Magical Law Enforcement though…as long as James didn’t work in a restricted department it shouldn’t, in theory, be too hard to track him down…

“Why don’t you just forget this James and move on?” Pansy said, accepting a refill from Blaise, who had finally stopped fiddling with the decanter and come over to join them on the sofa.

Draco grumbled incoherently. That sounded like the last thing he wanted to do.

“What you need is a distraction,” grinned Blaise, showing off his perfectly straight, white teeth.

Pansy leaned forward, her eyes suddenly alight with glee. “Yes! Blaise, you beautiful man. That’s perfect!” 

Draco scowled and glared between the glowing faces of his two best friends. “What? Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no.”

“Oh no you don’t, Draco. No squirming out of it. This will be brilliant!” Pansy cackled.

Draco’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Some sort of wordless communication was occurring between the two people who were supposed to be his best friends and it was beginning to irritate him. “Squirming out of what? No one’s said anything!”

“Hush now, sugar, Blaise and I will take care of everything. James will soon be nothing but a blip in your memory,” Pansy cooed.

Draco pouted and slouched back into the corner of the sofa. His friends may completely disregard all personal boundaries where he was concerned, but at least being angry at them, he got a break from thinking about James.

 

———

23:47  
[Pansy] What the fuck, Potter.

[Harry] hi pans. Nice to hear from you too.

[Pansy] oh, so you do exist. You didn't lose your fingers in a freak auror accident? You’re still capable of using a phone?

[Harry] ???  
[Harry] what's that supposed to mean!?

[Pansy] Draco.

[Harry] oh

[Pansy] What are you playing at? You were just supposed to pretend to be some random wrong number, then drop it. But instead you've made him like you. Why did you make him like you???  
[Pansy] You’re going to reply to his fucking messages and come clean or let him down gently and never text him again. Don't just ignore him.

[Harry] I’m sorry! But it’s complicated, okay?

[Pansy] So, what, you’re just going to pretend he doesn’t exist?  
[Pansy] For fuck’s sake. So you found out he liked you back in school. Who fucking cares. You know what, he probably wasn’t the only one.  
[Pansy] You’re the fucking saviour of the wizarding world. There probably isn’t witch or wizard alive that hasn’t had a crush on you.

[Harry] What? Ew.   
[Harry] Wait, you knew he liked me?

[Pansy] Merlin’s fucking tits, Potter. EVERYONE KNEW.

[Harry] well I fucking didn’t!  
[Harry] why does no one ever tell me anything!!!???

[Pansy] Save your outrage for someone who cares.  
[Pansy] I warned you what would happen if you hurt him, Pots.  
[Pansy] Don’t make me castrate you.

[Harry] UGH everything is so messed up. I can barely keep up with my lies. And now I know he liked me - still likes me, even - it makes everything feel weird.   
[Harry] I don’t like lying to him, but if I tell him who I am, he’s gonna hate me. Isn’t it better just to leave it, rather than texting him to say I’m fucking off?

[Pansy] No. Harry James Potter, don’t you dare ghost him. So you’ve had your fun and surprise surprise, things got difficult. Well boo hoo. Just come clean and stop playing with him. You're an adult for fuck's sake. Act like one.

[Harry] it’s not just me he’ll be pissed at if he finds out who he’s been talking to You know that right?

[Pansy] Of course I know that. He’s going to hate me, for a time. But that’s my problem. It wasn’t me that dragged the whole thing out by pretending to be someone else.   
[Pansy] Why couldn’t you have just ignored him like with every other number I’ve given you? Why did you have to mess with him, of all people??   
[Pansy] Fuck. I wish I’d never given him your number. 

[Harry] Fine. Keep your hair on. I’ll tell him soon.

[Pansy] You’d better, or you’re going to regret giving me Floo access to your house.

 

———  
Wednesday

20:02  
[Harry] Hey  
[Harry] how’s things?

[Draco] Hi.  
[Draco] I’m good. I wasn’t sure if I’d be hearing from you again.

[Harry] sorry, i really was busy. Honestly.  
[Harry] I promise I dont act so twattish on purpose

[Draco] How nice for you that you have such a natural talent for it then.

[Harry] haha I guess I deserved that.  
[Harry] I really am sorry.

[Harry] …so…am I forgiven?

[Draco] I suppose. I can hardly hold it against you that you have a life outside of your phone.  
[Draco] I’d appreciate some warning if you’re fucking off for a few days though.  
[Draco] I thought I’d upset you or something.

[Harry] not at all! I really was busy. But now I’m not, so I’m all yours ;)

[Draco] Delightful.

[Harry] :):) so….have you been up to much the last week?

[Draco] It’s funny you should ask. I had some drinks with a couple of my oldest friends yesterday evening.  
[Draco] They’ve got it into their heads to set me up with a man they know, and I was actually hoping you might have some advice for me since now I have a date on Friday.

[Harry] you have a date? And you want dating advice? From me?   
[Harry] you remember i’m only queer in theory, right? No proper hands-on experience. I only vaguely know what bits go where.

[Draco] Hilarious. No, actually, the guy I’m being set up with is muggleborn. I’ve never dated a muggleborn wizard before, or even spent much time with one. Where should I take him? What do muggleborns like doing? What do they hate?

[Harry] well for starters, you could try not talking about him like he's another species.  
[Harry] and why would you think I can help?

[Draco] didn't you say you grew up with muggles?

[Harry] fair point, okay. What do you normally do on dates?

[Draco] I don’t know. Go to dinner?

[Harry] you dont know what you do on dates?

[Draco] Fine. If you must know, I’ve never really gone on a date before. Certainly not a blind date. I was too busy with work in France and here in the UK it’s just difficult.

[Harry] are you weird looking? Do you have an extra head or something?

[Draco] What? Of course not! I’ve been told I’m very handsome, actually.

[Harry] by your mother

[Draco] Yes…but not just her! Are you going to be sensible or are you just going to mock me?

[Harry] Sorry, just messing. I’m sure youre very pretty.

[Draco] Thank you. And you’re correct.  
[Draco] So where do people go on dates? What am I supposed to do? What should I wear?

[Harry] your friends are cruel for setting you up like this. are they hoping you’ll fail?

[Draco] They don’t know I’m quite this useless. I may have given them the impression that my love life in France was significantly more successful than it actually was.

[Harry] hahahaha. Okay. Let’s think.  
[Harry] If it was me going on a first date, I’d want to go somewhere romantic, but not too fancy. Like, maybe Gino’s off Diagon? Or that new Wizarding place that recently opened not far from Waterloo station, I can’t remember the name but I walk past it a lot. I think it’s Thai.   
[Harry] Afterwards, it might be nice to go for a walk, if the weather is good, or head to a bar for a couple of drinks?  
[Harry] Or, if you want something more casual, just skip dinner and go straight for drinks.  
[Harry] Or if really you wanna do smth muggle, could go to the cinema? Or bowling?  
[Harry] idk, whatever you fancy. In the end, if he’s into you, it won’t matter where you go.

[Draco] That’s quite a lot to digest. I take it you’ve been on a lot of dates then?  
[Draco] Merlin, sorry - I didn’t mean to imply you were easy or anything!

[Harry] Ha! No, sadly not. I watch a lot of romcoms and have spent far too many friday and saturday nights thinking about the sort of dates i wished i was on :):)

[Draco] How come? I got the impression you went out a lot.

[Harry] well, yeah, i go out with my friends, but they’re mostly all paired up, so it makes going out on the pull a bit difficult. And I don’t trust them to set me up anymore. One too many bad experiences with that *shudder*  
[Harry] I’ve had random hookups, but they never usually progress to the dating stage  
[Harry] I’m just a pathetic heap of loneliness really. Washed up at 22: my tragic life story

[Draco] I’m sure the right chap or chappess will come along and sweep you off your feet soon.  
[Draco] You never know, maybe we’ll hit it off when we meet eventually…?

 

[Draco] Fuck. I can’t believe I sent that! Please ignore me. I’ve had almost a whole bottle of wine. 

[Draco]Are you still there? You’re very quiet.

[Harry] heh, sorry, had a floo call. but I should go

[Draco] Seriously, I’m mortified. Please don’t do that thing where I say something stupid and you bugger off for days.

[Harry] don’t stress about it. I’m not going anywhere ;)  
[Harry] except i really do have to go cos i have an 8am start tmrw and i might die if i don’t sleep.

[Draco] Okay. Again, I apologise. Pansy’s always on at me to avoid wine if I want my dignity intact, and I suppose I’ve just proved her right.

[Harry] hey, don’t worry about it. I’m flattered, and it’s not a completely ridiculous idea. We get on well enough through texts :):)  
[Harry] anyway, let me know when you decide what to do for your date and i’ll tell you if it sucks or not

[Draco] Will do. Thanks. Good night, James

[Harry] night D xxx

\------


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Updates may be marginally slower to appear since I just got Assassin's Creed Origins, and killing people is eating into my writing time, but I think there are only 2 or maybe 3 more chaps left. Enjoy!
> 
> ps. I have nothing against spider plants... but.. well...they're a bit rubbish, right??

———  
Wednesday lunchtime

 

A light in the corner flickered almost imperceptibly, but it was enough that Harry couldn’t ignore it. He’d spent five minutes trying to figure out firstly, which light was actually at fault, and secondly, whether there was any pattern to the flickering, but all he’d succeeded in doing was irritating himself to the point where he was moments from blasting every light in the cafe. He closed his eyes and scrubbed a hand over his face, temporarily dislodging his glasses, then glared at the coronation chicken sandwich in front of him. The morning at work had dragged. A severe lack of sleep combined with an inability to think about anything other than a certain ex-nemesis made focusing on his mountain of paperwork next to impossible, so in a vague attempt to shake himself out of his introspection, Harry had suggested to Ron that they head out for lunch at Maud’s, a muggle cafe around the corner from the MLE training building which had the best deli counter in the city (according to Ron, who insisted that he spoke from hard earned experience), but even crusty bread and kettle chips couldn’t distract him from his thoughts. 

The light flickered mockingly. His eye twitched in response.

“Unless you’ve developed some amazing new skill you’ve not told me about, you can’t eat a sandwich just by staring at it.”

“Hmm?” Harry blinked, suddenly remembering that he wasn’t alone. 

Ron chuckled and shook his head, somewhat despairingly. “When you asked if I fancied grabbing some lunch, I thought we’d actually be eating, not just staring at our food.”

“Sorry Ron. I was miles away.”

“Do you want to share?”

“My lunch?”

“No, you troll. What’s on your mind.”

“Oh. Not really.” Ron frowned and looked like he was about to object, so Harry continued. “Not right now I mean. I’ve got a few things to sort through in my head. You know?”

“Does it have anything to do with a certain wizard who you’ve been texting non-stop?” Ron asked, unsurprisingly getting it right first time.

Harry fought the urge to squirm guiltily in his seat under the force of Ron’s Auror-honed stare. It was no wonder he did so well in interviews. “No. Maybe. I don’t know,” Harry stuttered. “Look, you’ll be the first to know when I’ve worked it out. I promise.”

“Okay, I suppose I can accept that,” Ron replied after a brief pause. “Hey, why don’t you come over for supper on Friday? It’s been ages since we last did that, just the three of us. ‘mione’ll love the chance to catch up properly.”

Harry’s initial reaction was to decline, knowing he wouldn’t be great company, and should probably be left to mope in peace, but one look at Ron told him refusal wasn’t really an option. “Um, sure, that sounds good. I’ll bring the beers.” Hopefully, spending the evening with Ron and Hermione would mean he wouldn’t spend it wondering what Draco was up to on his date. Not that he cared.

 

———

20:14  
[Harry] Hey, so don’t keep me in suspense - What have you decided?

[Draco] Good evening to you too.

[Harry] come oooooon

[Draco] Okay, I looked up that place you suggested, the new Thai restaurant near Waterloo, and it looks perfect, so I thought I’d take him there, then perhaps drinks around the corner at a muggle bar I spotted when I scouted the area.

[Harry] You scouted the area? Bless your cotton socks.

[Draco] ???  
[Draco] Surely that’s just common sense? I fail to see what my socks have to do with it.

[Harry] nvm. Just know that youre precious ;)

[Draco] Why do people keep calling me that?   
[Draco] Have you been drinking? 

[Harry] eh. just a teensy bit. Had a couple of post work beers for some guy’s birthday. Not drunk, but the night is young

[Draco] are you still out now? I don’t want to disturb you if you’re busy.

[Harry] nah, I’m home. And I texted you, so youre not disturbing anything.   
[Harry] I’m just hanging out, drinking a beer, watching some crap on the telly. Usual wednesday night.

[Draco] Sounds…fun. Each to their own, I suppose!  
[Draco] So, does the date sound okay? If you were a muggleborn wizard meeting a dashingly handsome potential love interest for the first time, would you be happy with that?

[Harry] sounds ace :) what bar you thinking of? only i know the area fairly well so could give you some good recs

[Draco] It’s called the Moody Mare. Have you heard of it? It’s not some seedy drug den, is it?

[Harry] no way! I love that place. Yeh def take him there.  
[Harry] you can tell Frida behind that bar that Harry says hi.

[Draco] Harry?

[Harry] Friend of mine! Guy named Harry. Great bloke. Always in the Mare, drinking the place dry.   
[Harry] You know what, Frida probably doesn’t know his name, so don’t worry about saying anything. She’ll just be confused.

[Draco] Funny, I used to know a Harry. The awkward crush I told you about. It’d be both hilarious and mortifying if it turned out to be the same one.

[Harry] HAHAHA yeh. It’s quite a common name tho, right?

[Draco] Yes. I don’t suppose your Harry has an affinity for running headlong into danger? Or a spectacularly beautiful arse? Or impossibly scruffy hair that defies all logic?

[Harry] nah, just a regular bloke, normal arse and hair.  
[Harry] what do you know about this blind date then?

[Draco] Absolutely fuck all, other than the fact that he’s muggleborn, works as an intern at the Ministry, and is called Will.  
[Draco] Oh, and Pansy reckons he’s gorgeous, but I’ve heard her say that about a tuna sandwich before so I’m not putting all my faith in that pronouncement. 

[Harry] Haha. I hope for your sake that he’s better company than a sandwich. are you excited?

[Draco] I think terrified would be a more accurate description of my feelings on the matter.

[Harry] awww, I’m sure it’ll be great.   
[Harry] and if it’s not, you just try again with someone new.   
[Harry] someone like your school crush…?

[Draco] !! Ha! You think I should try it on with a straight man I’ve not seen in years and who hates my guts? That’s your advice?

[Harry] he might not be straight. And he might not hate you. You’ll never know unless you try!

[Draco] Okay, well let’s keep that as a backup plan. A real, last resort, no-people-left-in-the-whole-world backup plan.  
[Draco] And on that note, I really should go. I have a few experiments to set up and run overnight.

[Harry] night D xx

[Draco] Night, James.

 

———  
Thursday

18:12  
[Draco] it occurred to me earlier that you said you know the area around Waterloo well, does that mean you live in the area?

[Harry] yeah, i guess, not too far. 

[Draco] We’re probably not all that far apart then. What a coincidence!  
[Draco] We’ve probably walked past each other in Diagon Alley and not even realised.

[Harry] Where are you then?

[Draco] Towards Marylebone. I’m sharing an apartment with a friend from school.

[Harry] nice! you gonna be taking Will from the Ministry back to your fancy bachelor pad?

[Draco] If he’s lucky ;) 

[Harry] OMG did you just winky face me? Is that a first? I think that’s a first!

[Draco] Oh shush. I was bound to get the hang of this thing eventually. It’s your undue influence over me.

[Harry] hahahah I’m so proud!  
[Harry] I should let you go prepare for your date - you probably need to pick out your outfit or rehearse your topics of conversation or something equally as ridiculous.

[Draco] Hey! I’ll have you know I am an excellent conversationalist. No need to rehearse when your skill is as great as mine.

[Harry] sure sure…  
[Harry] seriously tho, good luck tmrw. I’m sure you’ll dazzle him with your charm, wit, and beauty.

[Draco] Thanks x

\----------------

Friday night

 

It had been a while since Harry had been to Ron and Hermione’s for dinner, just the three of them. Their hectic schedules and general ‘life’ stuff getting in the way made it increasingly difficult to find the time, and he’d forgotten how much he enjoyed it. Their flat was an eclectic mix of nerdy bookworm and sports nut, and it was perfectly them. Heavily laden bookshelves lined many of the small flat’s walls, interspersed with various items of Quidditch paraphernalia and Liverpool football club merchandise (Dean had gotten Ron into football, and Ron had randomly chosen to support Liverpool much to Dean’s (and Harry’s) disappointment.) He was feeling distracted tonight though; his thoughts never straying too far from a certain platinum blond wizard.

“A watched pot never boils.”

Harry whipped his head up to find Hermione staring at him from across the table. “What?”

“Your phone. Whatever you're expecting it to do, it’s not more likely to happen if you stare at it all night,” Hermione said pointedly.

Harry flushed, embarrassed at having been called out. “Oh, right.”

Ron sniggered. “Don’t mind him, ’mione. He’s probably just sulking because ferret face hasn't replied to his latest text.”

“Hey! I'm not sulking. And I'm not waiting for him to reply. If you must know, he's on a date so he's too busy to text me tonight anyway.”

“You two text a lot?” Hermione asked, sounding far more interested than Harry felt was necessary. 

“Not a lot. A bit maybe? I don’t know why you’re both being so weird about it,” he shrugged, striving for nonchalance, but falling short and ending up much closer to petulant and defensive.

“Come on mate, you’ve got to admit that it actually is weird. I mean, you two used to be mortal enemies, and now you’re practically best friends!” Ron added, unhelpfully.

“Does he even know it’s you yet?” Hermione asked.

Harry shifted awkwardly on his chair. “Um, no. Not as such.”

“Harry!” Hermione cried despairingly, throwing her arms in the air, while Ron just chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t you think he deserves to know who he’s been talking to? How would you feel if it was you?”

“I know, okay! I feel like a massive shit because he’s being so honest with me, and asking me for advice and telling me about his crush on me. He even said my arse was spectacular—”

“Oh bloody hell, I didn’t need to hear that.” Ron groaned.

“—but he doesn’t know it’s me he’s talking to. Ugh. How can I tell him the truth now though? If I tell him, he’ll hate me, but I can’t keep lying, so, what do I do? Just cut all contact?”

“If you want to have any chance at a real friendship, you need to tell him the truth and then deal with the consequences and hope he eventually forgives you. I expect he’ll be hurt, but it’s not going to get any better the longer you leave it.” Hermione smiled kindly and leaned across the table to squeeze his hand.

Harry stared at his plate and pushed the food around with his fork, his appetite all but gone. He knew Hermione was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. If, or when, Draco found out who he’d been talking to, he’d probably never speak to Harry again, and Harry didn’t really want to consider that eventuality. If he didn’t tell him though, he’d have to keep up the lie indefinitely, which would only get more tricky especially since he’d let slip that he lived in London. Draco would end up getting pissed off at his evasiveness and then stop talking to him, so either way he’d lose out. And then there was also the small issue of Pansy, who would no doubt do unspeakable things to important parts of his anatomy if he continued to lie.

“I’ll tell him. I will. But not just yet. He’s on a date so I don’t want to ruin it for him.”

Hermione arched an eyebrow at him knowingly. “Don’t you?” She smirked.

Harry’s face heated and he scowled back at her. 

Ron glanced at his two friends, momentarily confused by the non-verbal communication, but his face blanched as the penny dropped.

“Oh bloody hell. You fancy Malfoy? For fuck’s sake, Harry.”

“Hey! Why can’t I just want to be friends with him? Why does me not wanting to hurt his feelings suddenly mean i want to ride his cock?” He yelled. “I’m not even gay!” He added, suddenly realising that the small matter of his sexuality had never actually been explicitly mentioned between the three of them.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look and Harry tried to swallow down his irritation.

“Harry, you haven’t been this invested in someone since Ginny, and your face when you’re texting him does this sweet, sappy thing…It’s…well, it’s hard to describe. You haven’t looked that way in a long time. It’s clear you care more about him that you’re letting on.”

“And don’t forget that you’ve never done things by halves where Malfoy is concerned,” Ron added, nodding sagely. 

Harry shot Ron a glare. “But...it’s Malfoy. Don’t you care? He’s a guy. And a Malfoy. He was horrible to you both!”

“He wouldn’t have been my first choice for your, ah, gay awakening, but none of us are the same people we were at school. If he makes you happy, we’re happy,” Hermione said fondly.

“As long as he’s not a twat,” Ron added.

Harry chuckled. “I can’t promise that. But thanks.”

Hermione stood up and moved around the table to draw Harry into a hug. “Never forget we love you, you big idiot, no matter who you fancy,” she said, pressing a kiss to his head.

They retired to the living room after a short while, Harry having given up on finishing his dinner. Despite his friends being so understanding and lifting some of the worry from his shoulders, he was still stressing about what to do about Draco. Hermione had been right about another thing—a large part of him did want to ruin Draco’s date, but he thought this was one of those times when acting rashly wouldn’t work in his favour. He left his phone on the arm of the sofa beside him so he wouldn’t miss a text from Draco, and tried to concentrate on the conversation going on around him.

“So who’s he on a date with, and do we need to break his legs?” Ron asked after Harry had zoned out on the conversation for the fourth or fifth time.

“It’s just some guy his friends know. Will? He interns at the Ministry or something.”

Hermione gasped. “Oh my gosh. Will McCormick? From International Magical Cooperation?”

“Oh God. Please don't let it be him. Shit. It's him, isn't it. Bollocks.” Harry’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. Of course it was Will fucking McCormick, with his perfect hair, and perfect teeth, and stupid perfect face. Pansy couldn’t have just found some nice, average guy for Draco, no. 

“What? I don't get it.” 

Hermione took pity on Ron’s perplexed state and answered, saving Harry from the pain. “He's, um, rather attractive, and he's developed quite the fan club even in his short time at the office. Although with him going on a date with Draco, it explains why he’s rejected all the woman that threw themselves at him.”

“Fucking Pansy,” Harry grumbled. “I should have known she would do something like this. I've got to go. Thanks for dinner.” He was gone before either Ron or Hermione could try and stop him, but he didn’t miss their exasperated looks as the room shifted around him when he disapparated.

 

\-----------

23:52  
[Harry] is it Will McCormick? Draco’s date?

[Pansy] I'm sure i don't know what you're talking about.

[Harry] don't shit me about pans. why’d you set Draco up with Will from imc??   
[Harry] what were u thinking?????

[Pansy] I was thinking that Draco is young, handsome man who deserves to spend time with another young, handsome man. A real man. Not some fictional creation from your twisted mind.

[Harry] but why him?? Why not someone ugly? Or even someone average. Why pick the hottest guy in the ministry??

[Pansy] because he needs someone to distract him from his pointless friendship/weird crush on fake you, and I want him to have the best chance at happiness. 

[Harry] it's not pointless

[Pansy] Potter. Wtf. What do you mean? 

[Harry] you’re going to laugh.  
[Harry] or hate me.  
[Harry] but  
[Harry] I think i like him. Like, proper like. Idk. I need time. I need him not to be distracted by mr perfect so i can try and make him like me. Real me

[Pansy] Oh for fuck's sake. 

[Harry] will you help me?

[Pansy] I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again; if you hurt him, i swear to every known deity that i will castrate you and then suffocate you with your newly detached ball sack.

[Harry] please, Pans? The last thing i want to do is hurt him.

[Pansy] I know I’m going to regret this…  
[Pansy] come over to mine tomorrow. Daph and I are throwing a bit of a party. Draco will be there. 

[Harry] you were having a party and you weren’t going to invite me? :(:(:(:(:(:(

[Pansy] the last time you came to one of our parties you got so drunk, you threw up in my ficus.  
[Pansy] I don’t tolerate vomming in my house, Potter. You knew the rules.

[Harry] shit. I remember.   
[Harry] or not. I remember you yelling at me about it, but not the actual event.

[Pansy] it was horrific. I had to throw the plant out and you bought me a fucking spider plant to replace it with.   
[Pansy] A fucking spider plant!  
[Pansy] NO ONE WANTS SPIDER PLANTS, POTTER, NO ONE.

[Harry] I said i was sorry!   
[Harry] and anyway, i think spider plants are cool  
[Harry] they grow their babies on their arms!

[Pansy] wtf? You are fast on your way to earning an uninvitation.

[Harry] sorry sorry sorry.

[Pansy] come by around 9. Use the front door - floo will be jammed. Password is “don’t puke on my ficus”. Tap the door 3 times, say the password, should open right up.  
[Pansy] and if you upset Draco in any way, I’m going to hold you down with a full body bind and then hack the flesh from your bones with the bluntest knife I can find.

[Harry] okay! Love you too Pans.   
[Harry] cu tmrw xx

[Pansy] Later, Pots xx


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the comments and kudos! I meant to get this posted sooner, but I was a birmingham comiccon at the weekend, then got sick so time got away from me. Hope you enjoy this latest chapter :)

Saturday

 

07:34  
[Harry] how was your date?  
[Harry] i guess if it went well, youll be too busy to reply ;)

[Draco] Who are you and what have you done with James?

[Harry] …eh?

[Draco] It’s not even 8am on a Saturday and you’re up. That can mean only one of three things (according to you)  
[Draco] 1. You’re still up from the night before (if so, what on earth have you been up to?)  
[Draco] 2. You’re sick (you have my sympathies, unless it’s self-inflicted)  
[Draco] or 3, and this is my favourite one, you’re actually an old man.

[Harry] Ha bloody ha. None of the above- sometimes I just get up early!  
[Harry] Still in bed though. I’m not doing anything outrageous, like studying.

[Draco] Touché.

[Harry] come on then, spill! How was the date?  
[Harry] …is he still there now…?

[Draco] Excuse me!? Do you really think I’m the kind of boy to drop his knickers on the first date?

[Harry] Depends how hot he is… ;)  
[Harry] It went well then?

[Draco] It was fine. He was very attractive, a good conversationalist, nice dresser…

[Harry] …but…?

[Draco] …but I’m not sure he’s my type.

[Harry] no?

[Draco] No. He was nice enough, but I think I want someone with a bit more fire. Someone who’ll keep me on my toes.

[Harry] so you’re not going to see him again?

[Draco] I don’t know. Perhaps. He seemed keen, so maybe I should give him a second chance.

[Harry] yeh, i spose. But if there’s no spark initially, it’s probably not gonna show up on date 2, 3, 4, dont you think?

[Draco] How pessimistic of you! But you’re probably right.

[Harry] of course i’m right. Kick him to the curb and move on to the next one :)

[Draco] Yes, because I have them queuing up down the street…

[Harry] that’s the spirit!  
[Harry] out of interest… what *is* your type? 

[Draco] I'm not really sure. I suppose they’d have to be intelligent, interesting, able to challenge me when I'm acting like an arse...  
[Draco] Green eyes...  
[Draco] Dark hair...  
[Draco] Selflessly kind....  
[Draco] Occasional bouts of arrogance are acceptable.  
[Draco] So is sometimes being a nosy twat. 

[Harry] !!  
[Harry] sounds like you have someone specific in mind…

[Draco] I suppose I do. Merlin, I hate him.

[Harry] awkward schoolboy crush?

[Draco] Unfortunately. Although can I really call it that if it's still affecting me now?  
[Draco] I should go get breakfast. A lot to do today.

[Harry] okay. Speak soon xxx

[Draco] Later, James 

 

———

10:23  
[Pansy] Draco, darling, I hope you’ve not forgotten about tonight? Make sure you wear something that shows off your pert little arse and that deliciously slender waist of yours. I want you looking at your most fabulous.

[Draco] Merlin, I’ve barely recovered from the date last night and you’re already setting me up again?

[Pansy] Recovering? Good date then…? He’s gorgeous, isn’t he? It’s almost enough to make me wish I had a cock.

[Draco] Good lord. I didn’t need that imagery. 

[Pansy] Oh grow up. The date, Draco? Should I be expecting you to be bringing a plus one tonight?

[Draco] No. No plus one. The date was alright. Even if he hadn’t been a complete bore, two nights in a row would be a bit much.

[Pansy] Just ‘alright’? Did you even look at him?

[Draco] Looks aren’t everything, you shallow bint. Especially not when you’ve the personality of a stale biscuit.  
[Draco] Honestly, Pans. You might have warned me how dull he was. 

[Pansy] Oh Draco, do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone who meets your exacting standards? This is why you need to date more. Broaden your horizons. Experience as much cock as you can. No one expects you to settle down and raise a family of crups with every guy you date. Go! Be free! Sow your wild oats!

[Draco] ...and there goes the likelihood of me turning up to your party. Or is it actually an orgy? Seriously, I wouldn’t put anything past you.

[Pansy] No! Draco, you have to come! It’s going to be like your debut into British wizarding high society! This is the first one of mine and Daph’s legendary parties you’ve been in the country for!  
[Pansy] Plus, someone needs to keep an eye on Blaise. That boy’s menace when he’s pissed.

[Draco] I hardly think a piss up at your house is equivalent to ‘high society’.

[Pansy] We’ll just have to agree to disagree then.  
[Pansy] Promise me you’ll be there? I’m not too proud to beg.

[Draco] Fine. I’ll come. But I reserve the right to sulk in the corner.  
[Draco] And if you try to set me up with anyone, I’ll incinerate your shoe collection.

[Pansy] Sulk as much as you like. I’d expect nothing less. See you later xxx

———  
Saturday night

 

Harry glanced around the room, looking for a familiar face. It was all coming back to him now why he’d gotten so ridiculously drunk at the first and only one of these parties he’d been to. The room was packed, and that was with half the attendees spilling out into the back garden through the large French windows; some people were dancing (or attempting to), but many more were standing in groups and having loud, shouty, conversations, and a few had paired off and were busily ignoring everyone else in the room. A muggle pop song with an annoyingly catchy hook that could only just be heard above the sea of voices was blaring from the small stereo in the corner, and Harry soon found himself singing along as he searched for Pansy, or anyone he knew.

He and Pansy had become unlikely friends through a shared love of lunchtime katsudon from a small muggle restaurant around the corner from the Ministry, and this had slowly evolved into the sharing of the occasional meal, and plenty of wine, after work. They’d never involved any of their friends in their strange friendship though— post-war friendships and politics were still a minefield of hurt feelings, hatred, and distrust— so he knew very few people at the party other than the handful of Slytherins and a few others he recognised from school. Everyone knew who he was though, and he felt numerous pairs of eyes following his movement as he ‘excuse me’d’ through the room, trying to find at least one person he wouldn’t mind talking to. 

Suddenly, through a gap between the suffocating press of bodies, he caught sight of that familiar haughty profile and the dull roar of the crowded room and the pounding beat of the music fell silent. Nervous excitement fizzed through his body, leaving his chest tight and his skin tingling. The face he’d once longed to smash into the ground, and which he now wanted to caress delicately, was set in a frown as grey eyes glared imperiously around the room. Harry’s presence was, thankfully, mostly obscured by the low lighting and sheer volume of bodies around him so he was able to observe undetected, and drink in the sight of the man who was the current star of most of his nightly fantasies. How could he have ever wanted to harm even an inch of that flawless, pale skin? He dragged his sweaty palms down his dark green shirt, both to smooth the fabric and to remove some excess moisture. One hand rose absently to his head in a vague attempt to tame the dark nest that masqueraded as his hair while he slowly edged through the crowd towards his target. Draco looked absolutely perfect, and his arse. Oh, but Harry could stare at that arse for days, weeks, years even. Those jeans were tight in all the right places. He wondered what it would feel like under his hands, under his tongue, even. Would it be firm and well-muscled, or would there be some give to it? The skin was probably baby-soft and as pale as—

“Potter! What a surprise!” Pansy cried as she pulled him in for a hug, shocking him out of his arse-worship. He hadn’t even realised she was there. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco stiffen, his knuckles whitening around the tumbler in his hand. Now that he knew, more or less, the other boy’s feelings about him, he was able to recognise the motion as a nervous response, rather than disgust at his presence. Or that’s what Harry hoped anyway.

“Potter, good to see you again,” said Blaise gruffly, giving Harry an awkward one-armed hug and rounding it off with a manly pat on the back. They’d run into each other on numerous occasions over the past few years, thanks to Pansy mostly, but the friendship, if it could even be called that, was still strained and uneasy. Harry returned Blaise’s greeting before turning to face the remainder of the trio; the man he’d been chatting to, and more recently, flirting with, for almost two months.

Harry swallowed down his nerves, then plastered what he hoped was his most charming grin on his face and held his hand out. “Hi, Draco. It’s been a while. You look well.”

Draco reached out slowly took Harry’s hand in his own, causing a jolt of electricity to fizz through Harry’s body. He looked like he was trying to speak, or possibly throw up, but no words made it passed his lips on the first few attempts. “Potter,” he croaked out eventually. 

Harry’s mouth was suddenly dry, and none of the witty comments or flirty, friendly remarks he’d spent all day working on seemed to want to make an appearance. He just stared at Draco, and Draco stared back at him, the moment stretching on for an eternity. But then something snapped. Draco dropped Harry’s hand as if it had burned him and the spell was broken.

“Pansy. A word?” Draco snarled, before storming off and quickly becoming absorbed by the crowd.

“That’s my cue to leave!” Pansy chirped brightly. “Make yourself at home, Potty, but leave my houseplants alone.” She darted after Draco, leaving Harry to make awkward small talk with Blaise until he felt enough time had passed that he could politely extract himself. He sighed and stared blankly at the grinding mass of people through which Pansy and Draco had disappeared; the night really wasn't going the way he had planned.

 

———  
Sunday

08:35  
[Draco] You will not BELIEVE who I ran into last night.

9:40  
[Draco] Sorry. Forgot you don’t usually get up before noon on a weekend. Hope I didn’t wake you!

11:28  
[Harry] im up  
[Harry] where were you last night?

[Draco] I got dragged to a party at my friend Pansy’s house, and guess who turned up...

[Harry] Will from the date?

[Draco] No! Infinitely worse than that. Waltzing into the party as if it were the most normal thing in the world for him to be there, none other than my awkward schoolboy crush.

[Harry] oh? How was it..?

[Draco] It was awful. He looked amazing, and I completely lost the power of speech and had to run away and hide in Pansy’s room until he left. Only that wasn’t the end of it.

[Harry] no?

[Draco] He found me again and tried talking to me like we didn’t have a boatload of crap in our past, and then got all arsey when I kindly told him to fuck off.  
[Draco] He was so casual too. He acted like we were old friends. It was most unsettling. He probably went home and laughed about me with his little gang of Gryffin-pals. Merlin, but I hate him so much.

[Harry] was he really that bad? I mean, it sounds like you didn’t really give him a chance. Maybe you should have tried talking to him, instead of telling him to fuck off.

[Draco] Whose side are you on? 

[Harry] I’m not on anyone’s side, bt it sounded like you acted a bit shitty. Hiding away before he even got to speak to you, and then not even listening to him after he searched everywhere for you  
[Harry] bit of a dick move if you ask me.

[Draco] If you had any idea of our history, you wouldn’t say that. You know nothing about him, and yet you immediately side with him.  
[Draco] Story of my fucking life.

[Harry] yeah, well maybe if you stopped acting like a fucking coward for 2 seconds, you might actually get what you want for once.

[Draco] Fuck you.

 

———  
Monday

01:43  
[Pansy] I warned you didn’t I?  
[Pansy] I fucking told you not to hurt him.  
[Pansy] WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE POTTER?

07:12  
[Harry] I didn’t do anything! He was a twat and fucked off.

[Pansy] you wanted a chance, I gave you a chance. Don’t blame Draco for your inability to woo him.  
[Pansy] Whatever you argued about, apologise and fix it. 

[Harry] i can’t. He doesn’t want me as Harry, but i can’t keep pretending to be James.

[Pansy] you have to tell him. Right now, he’s upset because someone he thought was his friend hurt him, and because his head’s once again all messed up over Harry fucking Potter, and both of those things are your fault!  
[Pansy] Tell him you were James all along so that he only has one person to be mad at.

[Harry] I don’t want him to hate me

[Pansy] I’m afraid that fucking ship has sailed. Right now all i want is to reduce his pain, and the first stage of that is getting him to focus all his rage on you rather than splitting between you and fake you.  
[Pansy] Tell him it was you all along, apologise profusely, and leave him the fuck alone.

 

———  
Wednesday

20:46  
[Harry] Hey Drake. I’m really sorry about the other day. I was a shit and I didn’t mean to piss you off.

[Draco] At least you’re a self-aware shit.

[Harry] yep. That’s me :)  
[Harry] I want to make it up to you, apologise properly. Can we meet somewhere thursday night? Maybe go for a drink? 

[Harry] Drake?

 

23:13  
[Draco] Where do you propose we meet?

[Harry] hey! I thought you were still pissed off at me. Phew! i was thinking maybe the park opposite the Moody Mare? There’s a bench towards the large horse chestnut trees. Meet me there at 7? I’ll wear a red and yellow scarf so you know it’s me.

[Draco] I *am* still pissed off at you. But I’m not one to hold grudges, not anymore anyway.

[Harry] so you’ll come?

[Draco] Yes, I’ll be there.

[Harry] great! See you tmrw xxx

———


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit angsty, but it'll all turn out okay, i promise. I don't know wth happened to my fluffy fic though ... I'm sorry Draco!   
> Thanks again for all the comments and kudos. I'm crap at responding, but i read and love every single one.

Thursday

Draco tugged at the sleeves of his shirt to ensure that precisely the right amount of material was on display under his jacket. He was nervous. Incredibly so. His stomach had been tied in knots all day; a squirmy, uncomfortable mixture of excitement and sheer terror. He was finally going to meet James! He’d been tempted to cancel ever since foolishly agreeing to the meeting, but curiosity wouldn’t let him back out. He knew James would probably run a mile as soon as he saw him; there was barely a witch or wizard in Britain who didn’t know his name and the associations with it, and almost everyone recognised him as a Malfoy even if they didn’t know him personally, so it would probably be a very brief meeting. He only hoped he would be able to escape without a hex.

He paused and tugged on his sleeves some more. The park loomed up ahead. He imagined this was what it must have felt like walking to the gallows; knowing the fate that awaited you, but unable to change course. What if James wasn’t scared off when he realised he was a Malfoy? What if they got on as well in real life as they did via text (ignoring their few minor disagreements)? He knew it was stupid and woefully romantic, but a tiny part of him thought that there was real potential for James to become something more than a friend… There was just something about him; he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but whatever it was, it had him hooked.

A gust of wind stirred up some of the loose, dry, leaves that littered the ground and Draco shivered, pulling his jacket more tightly around himself. He was fifteen minutes early and the park entrance gaped wide and threateningly at him. If he remembered correctly, the bench James had suggested was on the far side of the park, but that would take him all of three or four minutes to reach, thus leaving him with two choices: he could stand where he was and risk James turning up and finding him lurking on a street corner like a high-class rent boy touting for business, or he could head towards the bench and hope that James wasn’t too late, or worse early enough to witness Draco’s eagerness.

Having psyched himself up, Draco trudged along the winding tarmac footpath through the park, his feet scuffing lightly on the ground as he forced himself to walk at an irritatingly slow pace. He could hear his mother scolding him inside his head for ruining the soles of his shoes, but he didn't care. Shoes were easily replaceable, whereas the embarrassment of turning up too early would last forever.

He turned a corner and suddenly had an unobstructed view of the horse chestnut trees, and the solitary figure who was sat on the bench beneath them. His heart leapt into his throat. Was that James? He could just about make out the deep red and yellow of the scarf around his neck and bit back a nervous chuckle when his mind immediately made the association with Gryffindor house colours. Why did he still do that? He shook his head to dispel the fleeting image of a certain Gryffindor alumnus and focused on the lonely figure in the distance. It had to be James. The bench was at a slight angle, so Draco couldn’t see his face yet, and James clearly hadn’t noticed his approach since the man’s gaze was firmly on the phone in his hand. As he drew nearer, he saw there was a bunch of gerbera daisies on the bench beside him, wrapped with dark purple paper and tied with silver ribbon; the bright pinks, yellows, reds, and oranges of the flowers a stark contrast with the lengthening shadows of the late evening. James had bought him flowers! No one had ever bought him flowers. Draco’s heart thudded wildly in his chest and he felt the heat of a blush spreading across his cheeks so he slowed his advance even further to allow himself time to compose himself. He swallowed thickly, taking in the windswept mass of dark hair that was so reminiscent of someone he was trying desperately hard not to think about—he almost turned around and fled, but he’d come this far, and something about James calling him a coward had struck a nerve. He would not have the man label him as such again.

There were mere metres between them now. Draco wet his lips with the tip of his tongue before sucking in a deep breath in preparation for his rehearsed greeting ( _Hi, you must be James, I’m Drake. It’s good to finally meet you._ Not particularly earth-shattering or original, but it got the point across). Before the first syllable could fall from his lips, however, James finally looked up and Draco’s words froze in his throat. His jaw hung open as his brain processed what he was looking at: wire-rimmed glasses; scruffy, dark hair; green eyes; an oh-so-unmistakable scar. Harry fucking Potter. Words laced with vitriol rose up inside him, demanding to know what Potter was doing here and wanting to know what he had done to James. But in a moment of awful clarity, everything suddenly clicked into place and the world crumbled around him. James was Harry Potter. Harry Potter was James. Fuck! How could he have been such a fucking idiot! All those conversations, those secrets shared. It had been Harry sodding Potter all along! He’d probably been having a right old laugh with his friends at Draco’s expense. 

Draco’s entire body vibrated with a mix of rage and embarrassment. How could he have let this happen? He could feel tears, hot and furious building up behind his eyes, and his earlier excitement had morphed into a churning nausea, roiling in his gut. He didn’t know if he was about to scream or vomit.

Potter looked like he was about to speak, but Draco didn’t want to hear his excuses. He never wanted to see his stupid face again. Mortified didn’t even begin to describe what he was feeling. Before Potter could even begin to explain himself, Draco disapparated. He didn’t give a shit if there were muggles around who might have seen. He wouldn’t let Potter see him fall apart. He wouldn’t let him have the punchline to his sick joke.

He appeared in his living room with a sharp crack and his legs finally gave out beneath him as he crumpled into a snotty, teary mess on his rug.

 

———

20:54  
[Harry] Draco, I'm so sorry for freaking you out. Please let me explain. 

[Harry] Draco? Please. I never meant to hurt you. You have to believe me.

———  
21:15  
 _Calling **Drake…Oh**_

21:23  
 _Calling **Drake…Oh**_

———

[Harry] Draco, I’m sorry, I know you’re probably angry at me, but can you please answer your phone and just let me explain

_Calling **Drake…Oh**_

[Harry] Okay, I guess you don’t want to talk to me. I get that.   
[Harry] please just call or text when you’re ready to listen to me  
[Harry] anytime day or night

[Harry] I’m sorry xxx

 

———

22:24  
[Harry] I fucked up.

[Pansy] Wtf? You had better have a good reason for interrupting my date.

[Harry] I met up with Draco. He knows I’m me.

[Pansy] Circe’s tits. Why did no one tell me this was happening???  
[Pansy] (and about fucking time, might I add)  
[Pansy] ...it didn’t go well, I take it?

[Harry] you could say that  
[Harry] he took one look at me and disapparated. He looked like he was going to puke.  
[Harry] now he wont return my calls or texts

[Pansy] fuck.  
[Pansy] I told you this would end in shit didn’t I.  
[Pansy] Just leave him alone and let me try and put him back together.

[Harry] but I need to know he’s okay! I want to explain!

[Pansy] No. Don’t you think you’ve done enough?   
[Pansy] If he ever wants to talk to you again, I’ll let you know, but for now, back off and leave him the fuck alone.

[Harry] tell him I’m sorry, please

[Pansy] Fine. It’s not going to do you any good, but I’ll tell him.  
[Pansy] and fyi, Pots, you owe me a shag because my date just fucked off.

 

———

22:45  
 _Calling **the Slytherin Ponce**_

[Pansy] Draco, sweetie, are you okay?  
[Pansy] Answer your damn phone or I’m coming over 

_Calling **the Slytherin Ponce**_

[Pansy] Right, I’m coming over.

[Pansy] You absolute BASTARD.  
[Pansy] You blocked me from your floo!!  
[Pansy] DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY TALK TO ME RIGHT NOW OR IM CALLING YOUR MOTHER

[Draco] You wouldn’t dare

[Pansy] Thank FUCK for that  
[Pansy] I thought you’d died.  
[Pansy] And you know full well I don’t make empty threats.

[Draco] You knew, didn’t you?

[Pansy] Knew what?

[Draco] Don’t play innocent Pans, it really doesn’t suit you. You know exactly what I’m talking about.

[Pansy] I’m so sorry Draco. Really I am. I gave him your number as a joke, but he had no idea it was you, not to begin with.   
[Pansy] And I told him, again and again, to tell you who he was once he worked it out, but you know what these Gryffindors are like. Stubborn pricks.

[Draco] How could you do this to me? You of all people know how I felt about him.   
[Draco] I hope you all got a good laugh out of it.

[Pansy] Please Draco, just let me come over. I’ll explain everything. I never wanted you to get hurt. I love you, you know that.

[Draco] Funny. No one ever intends for me to get hurt, but it keeps fucking happening.  
[Draco] Who else?

[Pansy] ?

[Draco] Who else knew James was Potter? How many of you were laughing behind my back? Blaise? Daph? Mills?

[Pansy] No one! It was just me. Me and Pots. I promise.  
[Pansy] Please Draco, open your floo or lift your wards. Let me over.

[Draco] No. I can’t look at you right now.   
[Draco] I need to be alone.

[Pansy] I love you, Draco. I’ll be here when you’re ready to forgive me xxx

 

———

Draco took another swig from the bottle of 30 year old Ogdens he’d found. It wasn’t his, but he didn’t care. Blaise shouldn’t leave his good alcohol lying around in the back of a locked cabinet if he didn’t want to share. He stared blankly at the cold fireplace, reliving every text conversation he'd ever had with James, no, Potter. Fucking Potter. How many things had he told him? He must have found it hilarious when Draco had admitted his crush! Draco groaned as the embarrassment coursed through him again and he took another generous gulp of whiskey to burn the pain away. The click of the front door opening dragged him from his self-torture, and he became vaguely aware of the smooth baritone notes of his housemate's voice calling through to the living room.

“Draco? You here? If you’re pounding some guy’s arse in the living room then speak up now. And I’d like to draw your attention to the ‘No fucking in communal areas’ clause of our agreement.” There was pause where Blaise was clearly listening out for any telltale sounds, but Draco kept quiet. Blaise would find him soon enough. Footsteps signalled his approach and Draco braced himself for discovery, cursing himself for not hiding away in his room.

“There you are! What are you doing up? How was the date with the mystery man?”

Draco sniffed and took another gulp of whiskey straight from the bottle. Some of it leaked out of his mouth and soaked into the sofa, but that was the price paid for trying to drink while curled up in the fetal position.

“Draco?” Blaise sounded concerned now. He crossed the room and knelt before Draco’s head, tenderly brushing a few platinum blond strands from his forehead with a cool, soft hand. Draco stared at a small blue fibre that was caught on Blaise’s dark jacket, unable to meet his best friend’s concerned gaze. “Hey, mate, what’s up? Do you want to talk about it?”

Draco opened his mouth to speak, but no words would form so he dejectedly shook his head. He made no attempt to suppress the tears that fell unbidden from his already-reddened and swollen eyes. Before he knew what was happening, Blaise had gathered him up in his arms and settled him against his chest, rubbing circles into his back and softly muttering assurances into his hair. Draco heaved out a sob and took comfort in the warm, solid presence of his friend.

 

———  
Friday

13:45  
[Harry] I get that you're upset but please hear me out   
[Harry] Draco?   
[Harry] I just want to talk

 

———  
Sunday 

19:23  
[Harry] just tell me what you need and I'll do it  
[Harry] anything

[Harry] I’m so sorry

22:45  
[Harry] Draco, please, I miss you. Just let me explain. 

[Harry] are you even reading these texts?

 

———  
Monday

19:56  
[Harry] I'm sorry if I hurt you. You have to believe me. I had no idea who you were at the start, but then I kind of worked it out, and I wanted to tell you it was me, but I didn't want you to stop talking to me, so I stupidly kept quiet. Please just meet up with me and I can explain everything face to face.

[sms not sent]

 

———

Shit. Harry started at the failed delivery report and deflated. Draco must have blocked him or changed his number. Whatever, it amounted to the same thing: he wasn't planning on talking to Harry anytime soon. In a sudden fit of helpless frustration, he threw his phone across the room and didn’t even wince when it hit the wall and exploded in a shower of plastic, but after several moments of glaring at nothing in particular, he was struck by regret. What if Draco had just damaged his phone and was getting a new one? He might try and call or text Harry, and how would Harry respond with his phone in pieces on the floor? He hastily retrieved the pieces and tried unsuccessfully to fit them together for ten minutes. _Stupid piece of shit phone_ he grumbled to himself. With a growl of frustration, he blasted the remains of the phone with his wand, then grabbed the half empty bottle of scotch from the coffee table and stomped down the hall to his bedroom. 

 

———  
Tuesday

8:30  
[Harry] Hey Ron, can you let Robards know I’m not coming in today.

[Ron] sure…but who is this?

[Harry] Harry. Sorry. Phone kinda broke. Using my old one with an old payg sim I found in the drawer.

[Ron] Oh! Sure thing mate. You alright?

[Harry] yeh. Just sick. Probably ate something bad

[Ron] want me to pick up any pain potions or anything? I can drop them by after work.

[Harry] nah. Im ok.

[Ron] okay, feel better soon! 

 

———  
Wednesday

14:34  
[Ron] thought you should know, I may have mentioned to hermione about you being sick so she’s got it into her head to visit you this evening.   
[Ron] in case you need to put on underwear or something…

[Harry] thanks but she doesn’t need to come over. I’m fine

[Ron] shoulda come to work then! But seriously, you know she won’t be put off.

[Harry] balls. ok 

 

———

“Harry? Haaarry? HARRY!”

Hermione's voice rang out through his house as she searched for him. Harry toyed with the idea of hiding under his invisibility cloak until she got bored and left, but in the end, his conscience won out. That and the fact that the cloak was in a box at the bottom of the cabinet in his living room, so it wasn’t exactly easily accessible. “In here, ‘mione,” he called out, not bothering to sit up. “It’s lucky I wasn’t trying to sleep. Jesus.”

Hermione appeared in the doorway, her eyes instantly latching onto his pathetic, crumpled form lying prone across his bed. “Oh Harry, you look awful.” She stepped into the room and gingerly perched on the edge of his bed. He didn’t miss the slight frown that flickered across her face when her eyes took in the small collection of bottles on his bedside table. 

“Wow, thanks. I feel so much better. You can go home safe in the knowledge that your spur of the moment visit perked me up no end,” he said with an eye roll that would do Pansy proud.

“You know what I mean,” she huffed in response. “Come on, let me run some diagnostics. Ron said you thought you’d eaten something dodgy but there are a few nasty bugs going around at the moment, so there’s a chance you could have picked something up somewhere and I bet you never even considered visiting a healer.” She bustled around him, ignoring his feeble protests, poking and prodding, casting various spells he’d never heard of, and tutting intermittently. “Well,” she said eventually, “the good news is, it appears you’re in perfect health!” 

He smiled weakly. “See. Told you I was fine.” He pushed himself up from his bed, with every intention of seeing her to the floo, but something about her frown told him she wasn’t quite finished.

“Now. Ignoring the fact that you’ve clearly skived off work today, and quite possibly yesterday, there’s just the small matter of your elevated blood-alcohol level. And when was the last time you ate a proper meal? Your stats seem to indicate you’ve not eaten properly in days. Harry, what’s wrong?”

He thought about lying, or just brushing her off completely with a terse ‘none of your damn business’, but he was lonely and miserable, and the small part of him that was still functioning as a rational adult told him he needed a friend—needed her—before he let his one-man pity party get too out of control. He sighed and collapsed ungracefully back onto his mattress.

With a resigned huff, he brought his hands up and pressed them against his face. “I fucked up,” he mumbled through his fingers. 

The mattress shifted as Hermione moved closer, then Harry felt the welcoming warmth of her small hand on his shoulder. “Just start at the beginning, Harry. You know you can tell me anything.”

Reluctantly, he dropped his hands from his face and curled over onto his side, facing Hermione, but unable to look her in the eye. “It’s shit,” he said eventually. “Everything is fucking shit. I hate my job and everyone is coupled up or married and I’m lonely and I’m about ninety percent sure I’m properly gay, but I’m never going to meet anyone because finding a girl was hard enough, and I’m the fucking ‘saviour of the wizarding world’ and I have to be a shining example of fuck knows what, and Draco was the one good thing in my life and now he hates me because I’m a fucking idiot who can’t just behave like a normal fucking adult. I mean seriously, who pretends to be someone else and doesn’t anticipate it all going to shit? I don’t know what I thought would happen, but now he’s blocked my number so I guess I’m never talking to him again and I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t hex my balls to my face if we ever bump into each other.” His chest heaved as he sucked in a few deep breaths to recover from his word diarrhoea. It felt…good, surprisingly, getting that off his chest. He chanced a glance up at Hermione through his fringe, which had fallen across his eyes, then felt a stab of guilt as he noticed her eyes shimmering. A tear escaped and he watched it trail down her cheek.

In the silence that followed his admission, Hermione sniffed, then bent down and threw her arms around him. “Oh Harry, I had no idea you felt that way! It’s probably not much in the grand scheme of things, but you know you will always have me and Ron. Please never forget that.” She squeezed him tightly and pressed her face into his hair. “Now,” she said eventually, gaining some measure of control over her emotions, “I’m not sure what I can do to help with your Draco situation, but why don’t we have a little think about your job. I’m sure once we fix one thing, everything else will slide into place.” She smiled warmly, and Harry almost believed her.

“Thanks, Hermione,” he said gratefully, and he truly meant it. Just admitting his problems to her had released some of his tension, so any solutions they might come to would be a bonus.

Hermione stayed late into the night, helping Harry sort through various ideas, writing lists, making plans, and by the time she made her excuses to leave, Harry was feeling lighter than he had in years. He finally had a plan! It was sketchy at best, but it was a plan nonetheless, and a step in the right direction.

“You know, if you’re really serious about Draco, allow him a little time to cool off, and then you can try courting him properly," she said as she stood in front of the fireplace, floo powder already in her hand.

“Court him?” Harry said incredulously.

“Yes! You know, write him letters, send him gifts, invite him round for dinner, or our for tea. You never know, it might work.”

Harry grinned and shook his head “Hermione, I love you, but you seem to have mistaken me for an 80-year-old woman. Draco isn’t my grandson.”

Hermione gasped in mock offence and slapped him lightly on the arm before turning serious again. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“Yes, I'm sure. Now go, before Ron accuses me of kidnapping you.”

“Night, Harry. Love you.”

“Love you too, ‘mione.”

 

———  
Friday

20:56  
[Harry] hey pans  
[Harry] have you got Draco’s number, or address, or anything?

[Pansy] Pots?

[Harry] oh, yeh, new number. Something happened to my old phone.

[Pansy] Oh, really?  
[Pansy] That was sarcasm, by the way. I don’t actually give a shit.

[Harry] So, have you got a number for him? I tried his old number but it’s not active.

[Pansy] Perhaps you should take the hint.

[Harry] come on, I just want to talk to him. I need to apologise.

[Pansy] I think you’ve done enough talking. He never wants to see you again so just leave him the fuck alone.   
[Pansy] Do you even realise what you’ve done to him? He’s broken. You broke my best friend.

[Harry] and I’m so, so sorry! If he would just listen to me, let me explain, maybe he’d understand that I wasn’t trying to hurt him  
[Harry] please, pans.

[Pansy] No. I’m not having you mess him up anymore.

[Harry] ok, can you at least pass on my new number? In case he decides he’s ready to talk to me?

[Pansy] fine, but i can tell you now, he’s not going to text you.

[Harry] it’s okay. I want him to have it just in case.  
[Harry] Can you also tell him that I’m sorry? And that I miss him.   
[Harry] and that I think about him every day.  
[Harry] and tell him that I’ll do anything he wants to make it up to him. Anything.

[Pansy] Merlin’s tits, Potter. Fine! Now suck it up and move on before you start sounding even more pathetic than usual.

[Harry] thanks pans xxx  
[Harry] sorry for messing things up between you guys too, btw.

[Pansy] Draco and I have weathered tougher storms than this, we’ll be fine. 

———


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer than usual chap to end with, hope you like it!

**~~6 Months Later~~**

Wednesday 

13:28  
[Harry] hey pans  
[Harry] how’s D?  
[Harry] tell him I said hi  
[Harry] and I still miss him

[Pansy] FOR FUCKS SAKE  
[Pansy] HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP THIS UP  
[Pansy] He’s fine. All the better for not having seen or heard from you. SAME AS FUCKING AWAYS.

[Harry] ok, good to know! Same time next week then?

[Pansy] No. Please.   
[Pansy] just stop asking after him. It’s been 6 months!   
[Pansy] it’s bloody pathetic, and though it pains me to say it, you’re better than this.  
[Pansy] he’s moved on, so it’s time you did too.

[Harry] he’s moved on? Do you mean he’s seeing someone?

[Pansy] No, I mean he’s over you, he’s over fake you, and he’s getting on with his life.   
[Pansy] So stop bloody texting me every damn week, asking after him!  
[Pansy] I’m THIS close to just blocking your number.

[Harry] Does he ever mention me at all? Like, ever?  
[Harry] I’m not asking him to drop everything and be with me, I really just want to talk.  
[Harry] I hate how things ended.  
[Harry] you’ve explained why I was such a dick, right? And you gave him my new number?

[Pansy] I don’t know. Maybe? It’s been soooo long.   
[Pansy] Please, I’m begging you, find a new hobby.

[Harry] I’m not giving up on him. He has to forgive me one day

[Pansy] Circe. It’s like you’ve never even met a Malfoy before.

[Harry] if you would just give me his number then I wouldn’t have to keep pestering you.   
[Harry] every   
[Harry] single  
[Harry] week.

[Pansy] FFS!!!  
[Pansy] You know, I’ve often wondered why you don’t just use your auror contacts to get Draco’s number, if you’re really that desperate. I think you just like torturing me.

[Harry] well, yeah, the torturing bit is fun, but it’d be a bit of a creepy abuse of power to get ron to go through Draco’s personal details, dont you think?

[Pansy] It’s reassuring to know you at least have some boundaries…   
[Pansy] Although I feel you should be made aware that asking after someone every week for 6 months when they’re clearly not interested is definitely creepy.  
[Pansy] like, stalker-level creepy

[Harry] I know..  
[Harry] I just miss him so much :(

[Pansy] Stop. You’re making me have feelings.

[Harry] sorry :’(

[Pansy] Until next week then. See you, Potty x

[Harry] bye xo

———

21:37  
[Pansy] I’m having a few friends over on Friday. You should come. 9pm.

[Harry] Is this one of your ‘legendary’ parties? I might give it a miss as Ive got a big work thing on saturday to prepare for, but thanks anyway. Another time for sure!

[Pansy] It’s not a party, just a few friends. One of our regular Slytherin catch-ups where we bitch and moan about how much the world still hates us. You’re not going to want to miss it, believe me.

[Harry] …I don’t know if you remember, but I was never in slytherin.

[Pansy] Yes, funnily enough, I am familiar with which house you were sorted into, you dolt.  
[Pansy] But consider, for a moment, who else from our year was in Slytherin. There was me, Blaise, Daphne, Mills, Greg…

[Harry] DRACO????!!!!

[Pansy] There we go. Finally. Give the scruffy idiot a prize.

[Harry] Draco’s going to be there? On friday? And you want me to come? And see him?  
[Harry] omg does he want to see me? Did he ask for me?   
[Harry] OMFG WHAT DO I WEAR?

[Pansy] Calm down! No, he has no idea, and I’m not going to tell him or he’ll just sod off and hide in his room for weeks.  
[Pansy] GROUND RULES, POTTER  
[Pansy] 1 - you are to come round at 9 and say your piece, then leave if that’s what Draco wants.  
[Pansy] 2 - if, by some miracle, he decides to forgive you, then you have to NOT BE A COMPLETE TWAT. I won’t have you breaking him again.  
[Pansy] 3 - if anyone asks, you turned up uninvited and I had absolutely nothing to do with it.  
[Pansy] 4 - NO PUKING IN MY HOUSE

[Harry] ok ok wow  
[Harry] why the sudden change of heart?

[Pansy] Because Draco is decidedly not fine, and hasn’t been since you stomped all over his life and his heart.  
[Pansy] He’s miserable, and I have done everything I can think of to make him happy, but nothing has worked. For some unknown reason, he’s still pining for you.  
[Pansy] Maybe this is a terrible idea and it will all blow up in my face, but you clearly care for him and whatever happens on Friday, I hope at the very least, he gets some closure.  
[Pansy] So, for the love of Godric, don’t fuck this up.

[Harry] I won’t!   
[Harry] at least, I’ll try really hard not to!  
[Harry] Thank you so much! I love you! You’re beautiful and amazing and wonderful!

[Pansy] yes yes, I know. See you friday. 9pm.

[Harry] Yes!! Thank youuuuuuuu!!! <3<3<3<3

 

———

22:03  
[Harry] RON!  
[Harry] PANSY’S INVITED ME TO A SLYTHERIN PARTY AND GUESS WHO’S GOING TO BE THERE!!!!  
[Harry] DRACO!!! DRACO IS GOING TO BE THERE!!!!

[Ron] so, he’s ready to forgive you your twattishness?

[Harry] well, no, not exactly.   
[Harry] Pans isnt going to tell him I’m coming.

[Ron] ah, well best of luck then  
[Ron] not that you’ll need it because when has you two lying about something to Draco ever gone tits up?

[Harry] hey, stop bringing down my happy with your logic.  
[Harry] :(

[Ron] sorry mate. Just dont want you getting your hopes up.

[Harry] nah, you’re right, I guess. Sigh.   
[Harry] what should I do? Should I bring him a gift? Rehearse a speech?   
[Harry] and what should I wear??  
[Harry] fuck. This was a terrible idea. He’s going to hate me whatever I do.

[Ron] you know I’m completely the wrong person to ask for dating advice. Look how long it took me to get Hermione!

[Harry] yeh but you must be doing something right because she’s not left you yet.

[Ron] …‘yet’  
[Ron] thanks mate.

———

[Hermione] Ron told me about Friday. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll come by after work tomorrow and help you prepare!

[Harry] Thanks Hermione! I’m finally going to get the chance to court him! :D:D:D

[Hermione] He won’t know what’s hit him :)   
[Hermione] It’ll be just like old times, studying for a big test together! I’m so excited for you!

[Harry] …way to suck the fun out of it, H…

[Hermione] oh shush, it’ll be fun. Draco will be blown away.

[Harry] or just blown, with any luck ;)

[Hermione] HARRY! 

[Harry] …and on that note. Night hermione! See you tmrw!  
[Harry] give ron a big wet kiss from me xxx

[Hermione] Night, Harry xxx  
[Hermione] Ron said f*** off :) xxx

 

———  
Friday

Draco swirled the amber liquid around in the glass, trying to see how near to the rim he could get without spilling any. In the background, he could still hear Theo droning on about something very dull that happened during a rather dull week at his exceptionally dull job. He wasn’t even sure what it was Theo actually did, but he was fairly certain it involved loopholes and archaic laws. Perhaps exploiting loopholes? Something to do with laws and not following them, anyway. He should probably pay more attention, but something about the man’s voice made it impossible to listen to without dropping off—it had been the same in school too; he’d been the worst study partner unless you actually wanted to fall asleep. In fact, Theo could probably make a fortune if he sold recordings of his voice to insomniacs. Draco snorted at his genius as he devised a hypothetical business model for his new idea, earning himself a frown from Pansy who was perched on the chaise to his right. Suitably chastened, he rearranged his expression into one of polite disinterest and tried to focus his attention back on the room. 

Thankfully, before Draco had a chance to slump into a coma of boredom, Daphne and Greg reappeared with a tray of extravagant looking cocktails they had just spent the past half hour concocting.

“About bloody time!” Cried Blaise, as if reading Draco’s mind. “I almost expired.”

“Don’t blame me, darling,” Daphne replied. “It seems Greggie here found a book on muggle cocktails and he absolutely had to attempt each one!”

“Give over, Daph. You’re the one who insisted everyone needed at least two each,” grinned Greg as he carefully lowered the heavily laden tray onto the coffee table between the group.

“Hush now, no one likes a tattle tale. Come on! Make your choices and drink up!”

Draco leant forward and grabbed the closest one, a martini glass filled with a pale green liquid and garnished with what looked like chocolate shavings and, of course, a small umbrella. He glanced over at Pansy, expecting to exchange an amused look, or perhaps a ‘cheers’, but she was fiddling with her phone and not paying attention to anything around her. It wasn’t like her to ignore a tray full of colourful, alcoholic beverages, but then, she’d been a bit odd all night now Draco came to think about it. She seemed jumpy, and her eyes were practically glued to her phone screen. Maybe she was expecting a call? He made a mental note to check in with her either later that night or the next day to make sure she was okay, and then took a tentative sip of his drink. It was like drinking mint choc chip ice cream! He groaned appreciatively and took a larger swig.

“Come on Draco, don’t be a hog. Share it around,” said Blaise, reaching out to take the glass.

“No bloody way. Get your own! This is divine.”

“Fine, you don’t get to try any of mine then.”

“Good. I don’t want any of your inferior filth.”

“Boys! There are plenty of fruity drinks for everyone, and Greg is itching to get back in that kitchen to whip up some more so don’t panic,” scolded Daphne.

The room quickly devolved into raucous shouts and laughter as everyone loudly shared their opinions (but not so much their drinks), and Draco almost forgot all about Pansy’s odd behaviour. That was until the doorbell rang, barely audible over the noise in the room, and Pansy practically leapt off her seat and dashed into the hall yelling ‘I’ll get it!’ before anyone else had time to realise there was even something to get. Draco watched the doorway through which Pansy had disappeared, a strange feeling of foreboding gnawing at the pit of his stomach. His friends were making too much noise for him to be able to hear who Pansy was talking to, but perhaps if he stared hard enough, he would be able to see around the corner and find out who was at the door… He mentally shook himself to clear the uneasy feeling from his core—why was he getting so worked up over this unknown caller? It’s not like it was his house. It was probably some bloke Pans was shagging, or maybe one of those religious types who go door-to-door, harassing innocents who just want to sin in peace.

After what felt like an age Pansy strode stiffly through the door and paused just inside the threshold. Draco frowned, the uneasy feeling coursing back through his veins, a cold dread prickling down his spine. 

“Draco,” she started, looking uncharacteristically nervous, her eyes darting between him and whatever was in the corridor behind her. Draco’s mouth had gone dry and he shifted forward in his seat, his heart pounding in his throat. Voices stilled as everyone else in the room picked up on the sudden spike in tension. “There’s, um... Well… Please don’t hate me, okay? But…”

“Pans,” Draco said slowly, swallowing down the panic that was slowly rising like bile in his throat, “what the ever-loving fuck—” 

He never got the rest of the sentence out because the man he’d hoped he’d never to see again stepped out from the darkened hallway and moved to stand in front of him, grinning that ridiculous lop-sided grin that made him want to simultaneously fuck him into the floor and hex his beautiful face off.

“—Potter. Of course it would be you. I should have guessed from the sense of dread,” Draco snarled.

“Hi, Draco,” Harry said sheepishly, tucking a wide flat box under one arm and extending a hand. 

Draco shot to his feet and narrowed his eyes, ignoring the outstretched hand, then whipped round to glare at Pansy. “What the fuck. What is _he_ doing here?” He spat, amazed that he’d managed to get the words out without his voice wobbling or cracking.

To her credit, Pansy briefly looked thoroughly abashed, but her face hardened before she spoke. “Just hear him out, Draco. This is for your own good. We all love you and support you, but you cannot keep going the way you are. Potter was an absolute shit to you, I know, and I’ve told him so a thousand times, and I understand why you’ve been avoiding him, but you both need some sort of closure or resolution or something because I am seriously going to lose my shit if I have to put up with the whingeing and pining and moping and bitching for another second.” With her piece said, she whirled round to face the rest of the gawkers in the room. “Come on you lot, show’s over.” And with only minimal persuasion, managed to herd them into the floo so they could continue their evening at Greg’s. Draco could do nothing but watch in stunned silence, too many feelings swirling about in his chest to know what to do—currently, it was a toss-up between collapsing into a quivering heap on the floor or exploding in a violent rage and destroying the entire room. Potter didn’t look much better off, which went some way towards calming Draco; he didn’t like being the only wrong-footed one.

Before she left after their friends, Pansy turned to Draco and took his face gently in her soft, slender hands. “Draco, darling. Fuck him or hex him, I don’t care. Do what you need to do to get him out of your system, but please hear him out first. Love you.” She stretched up and kissed his forehead, and then she was gone, leaving Draco alone with Potter.

“So, ah, she’s quite something,” Harry said, chuckling nervously and scratching a hand through his perpetually scruffy hair. He cut quite a dejected figure, with a bunch of flowers dangling limply from one hand (gerberas again, Draco noted), and the now rather squashed box under his arm. He had apparently made some effort with his appearance this evening—he was wearing a shirt and tie, and they didn’t even clash—but he still looked rather worn around the edges.

“Just say what you came to say and leave me the fuck alone,” Draco growled, folding his arms defensively across his chest and glaring imperiously at Harry sodding Potter. He couldn’t believe that his friends, Pansy in particular, had betrayed him YET AGAIN. All he wanted was to move on and forget about the disaster that was Harry/James, maybe find a nice normal bloke with an ordinary job and no heroic tendencies. Someone safe and reliable, like Will, perhaps.

Harry took a breath and visibly straightened. He looked like he was about to appear in front of the Wizengamot, and Draco found himself relaxing his own posture slightly in order to put the other man at ease and prove that he was willing (just about) to give the man a fair hearing.

“Okay,” Harry says eventually, shifting awkwardly on his feet. “I need to say some things, and I want you just to listen before you say anything, if that’s okay?”

Draco rolled his eyes but nodded his assent. Anything to get this over with as quickly as possible.

“Right. Great! Well, ah, firstly, you need to know that I never, ever wanted to hurt you. And what we had, whatever it was, it wasn’t a joke to me, I wasn’t trying to string you along, and nothing I told you about me was a lie. Well, except for the name thing, obviously. I liked talking to you, even after I knew who you were. In fact, especially when I knew who you were. I know you won’t believe me, but it’s pretty lonely being me sometimes, but when we were texting, I didn’t feel so alone. You wanted to talk to me because of what I said, not because of who I was and I didn’t want you to stop treating me like a regular guy.” 

Harry paused, frowning at some invisible point on the floor in front of him. Draco opened his mouth to speak, assuming the man was done with his rather mediocre apology, but Harry looked up, green eyes locking onto grey, and the scathing dismissal caught in Draco’s throat.

“I wanted you to know I finally quit my job,” Harry stated, holding Draco’s gaze. “I decided to take your advice, and I’ve started my own catering company. I’m still just starting out, but it’s going well. I’ve already got a steady stream of clients, and with word-of-mouth, things are getting busy enough that I’m almost ready to hire a few people to help. So things are looking up, and I’d never have done this without you. You gave me the push I needed; the confidence to follow my heart. Which brings me to my second point, and why I’m standing here in front of you with flowers, chocolate, and a fuck load of hope.” Draco’s heart stilled in his chest. There were so many things he wanted to say but nothing would come out. “I was feeling pretty low when we started texting, but I didn’t realise quite how bad things had got until they started getting better, if that makes sense. You made me happy in a way nothing else in my life did and when I fucked everything up, I got pretty down for a while. Now I have a job I love, and everything is finally slotting into place, but there is still something missing, and that’s where you come in.” He took a hesitant step forward, and Draco didn’t move away. Couldn’t move away; his feet were rooted to the spot. “I’ve missed you. So so much. I know I fucked up massively and I don't deserve it, but if you could ever forgive me, then I’d like to take you out, see where things go. I need you, Draco; more than I’ve ever needed anything or anyone else, so whenever you’re ready, if you’re ever ready, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Draco’s arms fell limply to his sides. He was speechless. Potter wanted him? Harry sodding Potter really wanted him, Draco Malfoy? It was everything he’d ever wanted, so where was the catch? This couldn’t actually be happening, could it?

As more time passed and Draco still didn’t speak, Harry crumpled. “Okay, so, that’s all I wanted to say. Thanks for listening, and for not hexing me. I guess I’ll go now. It was really good to see you again, Draco. You look great, by the way.” Harry smiled faintly, then turned to leave. “Oh, I almost forgot, these are for you.” He held out the flowers and the box which Draco now realised contained chocolates. When Draco didn’t move to accept them, he left them on the coffee table and shuffled dejectedly towards the door.

“Wait!” Draco cried before Harry disappeared around the corner. He spun around, eyes wide, looking at Draco expectantly. Draco closed the distance between them in just a few long strides. He grabbed a hold of Harry’s shirt with both hands and dragged him into his chest, pressing his lips to Harry’s before he was able to fully process what he was doing. Harry stiffened upon the contact, but quickly melted into the kiss, his hands coming up to wind around Draco’s waist, pulling them closer.

Draco thought his brain would actually short-circuit. Was he really kissing Harry Potter, star of ninety percent of his teenage wet dreams? Draco opened his mouth to deepen the kiss and was rewarded by Harry’s tongue licking into his mouth. He tasted sugary sweet and Draco couldn’t get enough. Potter’s arms tightened around him, removing all distance between them and Draco couldn’t help the breathy moan that escaped as their groins pressed together and Harry’s growing hardness brushed against his own. He could stay like this forever, kissing Potter, moulding their bodies together, raking fingers through deceptively soft, dark hair.

Eventually, they pulled apart, both panting heavily and resting their foreheads together as they caught their breath.

“Is this…Do you…Are we…?” Harry stumbled over the words, and Draco tried to ignore how his heart clenched at the sight of him so flustered and nervous.

“I’m not saying I forgive you, yet, but I don’t object to you taking me out. If you want to. Give things a try, I mean.” Smooth, Draco, he thinks, mentally giving himself a kick.

“I do! Want to take you out, that is. Fuck. I’ve missed you so much.”

Draco couldn’t have stopped the smile from spreading across his face if he’d wanted to. “I’ve missed you too,” he said softly, still lost in those perfect, bright, green eyes.

Harry took a step back and went down on one knee before him, and Draco’s heart stuttered in his chest. What the fuck was happening? Harry grinned, seemingly enjoying Draco’s sudden bewilderment. “Draco Malfoy, will you go out with me?” He asked, one hand clasped to his chest, the other out-stretched towards Draco.

Draco blinked a couple of times as the words sunk in, and then let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding in while his heart slowly returned to its normal rhythm. He laughed quietly, shaking his head in disbelief, then reached down and smacked Harry around the back of his head. “Get off the floor, you idiot,” he growled, though there was no malice behind it. “Of course I’ll go out with you.”

“Great!” Harry leapt up and threw his arms around Draco in a brief, tight embrace, before stepping back. Draco shifted awkwardly on his feet, not really sure where to go from here. So they were, what, dating? Pre-dating? Friends with a side order of kissing? If Draco was being perfectly honest with himself, he wanted to push Harry back on to the sofa and ride him so hard that the neighbours complained about the noise…but that would probably be a bad move… They really ought to try talking things out first. That’s what healthy, well-adjusted adults did, wasn't it? Harry looked up at him through dark lashes, smiling nervously and rubbing a hand absently across the back of his neck. It was reassuring to see he had about as much of an idea as Draco about what to do next. Harry’s gaze flitted about the room before falling on the table full of brightly coloured drinks, apparently noticing them for the first time. “You know,” he said slowly, “it’d be a shame to waste these…”

Draco grinned, thankful for the break in the awkward silence, his relief mirrored by Harry as they grabbed a drink each and moved to the sofa. He still wasn’t completely sure that this wasn’t some sort of alcohol-induced hallucination. Maybe Greg had slipped something dodgy into his cocktail..? But no, there’s no way his brain would invent such a bright, happy Harry, grinning infectiously from ear to ear at him. The time flew by as they worked their way through the drinks, chatting about this and that, and stealing brief touches and glances until Harry reluctantly admitted he had to leave to get ready for work the next day.

“So, um, do you still have the same number? I’ll text you tomorrow, yeah?” Harry asked as he shrugged into his jacket.

“Ah, about that. There was a slight incident involving my old phone and an incendio, so I have a new number.”

“Ha, my old phone met with an unfortunate end too,” Harry said with a fond smirk. “Here, pass it over and I’ll give you my number, and you can put yours in mine,” he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively before digging his phone out of a pocket and holding it out for Draco.

They exchanged numbers then moved to the front door to say their goodbyes as Harry had decided to take a cab since he reckoned he was too drunk to apparate, and the floo would make him throw up. 

At the door, Harry leaned up and pressed a chaste kiss to Draco’s lips. “I had fun tonight. Thanks again for giving me a chance. I’ll text you about the date. Maybe we can get Domino’s,” he said with a grin.

Draco rolled his eyes fondly. “I look forward to it…”

When the door was finally closed, Draco leant back against it and smiled broadly. His heart was hammering in his chest, his head was spinning, and he was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but he was happy, really happy, for the first time in a long while.

———

00:46  
[Harry] Hey :) it’s me, Harry.  
[Harry] just testing that you gave me the right number ;)  
[Harry] Already looking forward to our date xxx

[Draco] ‘Sexy’? Seriously? That’s what you put as your name on my phone?

[Harry] can’t argue with the truth

[Draco] We’ll see about that. We’ve not even gone on our first date yet and I’m already reconsidering.

[Harry] nope. Not gonna happen. I’m yours whether you like it or not ;)

[Draco] Well, if you insist… 

[Harry] I do! :) xxx

[Draco] Goodnight, Harry x

[Harry] night draco xoxoxo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I've had a lot of fun writing this, even though the boys took it in a more angsty direction than I intended, but it all came out right in the end. phew. 
> 
> I'm on tumblr as [ coriesocks](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/coriesocks) so come find me if that's your thing :)


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